The spotlight remains firmly fixed on the perplexing and tragic death of Albert Ojwang, a Voi-based teacher and blogger whose demise in police custody ignited a firestorm of public outrage across Kenya. Now, the controversy has taken an even sharper turn with Mohamed Amin, the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), finding himself at the center of serious allegations of perjury. However, in a recent media briefing, Amin categorically denied these claims, mounting a vigorous defense of his earlier testimony before the Senate.
Amin's Senate appearance had been a high-stakes inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Ojwang's death, which occurred under deeply unclear conditions following his arrest. The DCI boss maintains that his account to the senators was not an act of deception or personal interpretation, but rather a verbatim recitation of official police records.
"Some people who do not mean well for the DCI have misinterpreted what I said," Amin asserted, pushing back against his accusers. He clarified that his objective during the Senate testimony was simply to provide factual data: "I was simply sharing with the senators the timing of the suspect’s arrest, his booking at the police station, and the officers’ visit to the Mbagathi mortuary.”
The crux of Amin's defense lies in the integrity of the digital Occurrence Book (OB) records. He emphasized that his submission was directly sourced from these official logs, leaving no room for personal bias or fabrication. “What I read was exactly what is in the system. It wasn’t an opinion from the DCI—it was factually what had been logged,” he reiterated, directly addressing accusations that he misled the legislative body. This reliance on the digital OB highlights the importance of transparent and verifiable police record-keeping, especially in cases of public interest and scrutiny.
Albert Ojwang's fateful journey began with a social media post. He had accused Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat of involvement in a corruption scheme – an allegation that proved to be his undoing. Apprehended from his home in Homa Bay, Ojwang was subsequently transferred to Nairobi, where he later died while in police custody. The circumstances surrounding his death remain shrouded in mystery, fueling widespread suspicion and calls for justice.
Amin's Senate testimony, rather than dousing the flames of public anger, appeared to fan them further. Critics swiftly accused him of downplaying the DCI's role in Ojwang's ordeal and, more gravely, of potentially shielding high-level officials implicated in the case. These accusations fed into the broader narrative of escalating police brutality and a perceived lack of accountability within the force.
Ojwang's death galvanized protests across Nairobi and online platforms. Demonstrators passionately demanded justice for the late blogger, alongside a broader call for accountability regarding police conduct. Among their loudest demands was the resignation of DIG Lagat, whom a significant segment of the public believes to have had a direct hand in Ojwang’s arrest and the alleged torture that led to his death.
