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Kenya Protests Over Blogger’s Custody Death Leave 16 Dead, Rights Groups Say
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The death of political blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang on 8 June while in police custody has ignited weeks of unrest across Kenya. Ojwang had been arrested after posting allegations of corruption against Deputy Inspector-General of Police Eliud Lagat. His family and rights organisations rejected police assertions that he fatally injured himself and demanded an independent inquiry.
Protests erupted in Nairobi on 12 June and quickly spread to other cities. Police deployed tear gas, sealed roads near parliament and the Treasury, and several vehicles were torched. A police constable was detained on 13 June in connection with Ojwang’s death, and prosecutors have since charged six people—three of them officers—with murder. Despite the arrests, clashes intensified; KNCHR said police gunfire killed one demonstrator on 17 June.
The confrontation peaked on 25 June, the first anniversary of last year’s anti-tax rallies. Amnesty International Kenya and the state-funded KNCHR reported at least 16 deaths and more than 400 injuries as security forces confronted crowds in 23 counties; most victims were shot. IPOA said 61 people were arrested. Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen, who put the death toll at ten, accused protesters of attempting to overthrow the government.
Authorities briefly ordered broadcasters off the air and restricted social-media platforms, prompting accusations of censorship from civil-liberties groups. International partners, including several Western embassies, condemned what they called excessive force and the use of hired gangs to disrupt otherwise peaceful marches.
Public anger showed no sign of abating. On 3 July mourners carrying Ojwang’s coffin stormed the Mawego Police Station—where he had first been held—setting parts of the building alight before proceeding to his burial in Homa Bay County. Protest organisers say demonstrations will continue until officers implicated in Ojwang’s death, and broader claims of police brutality, are fully addressed.
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