The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has officially approved murder charges against Central Police Station OCS Samson Kiprotich Talaam, Police Constables James Mukhwana and Peter Kimani, along with three other individuals, over the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while he was being held in police custody.
In a press statement released on Monday, DPP Renson Ingonga confirmed that the decision to prosecute was made after the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) completed investigations and handed over the case files to his office.
“Following my directive, IPOA submitted the inquiry file on June 22, 2025, for legal review. Upon receiving it, I quickly assigned a team of senior prosecutors to thoroughly examine the findings,” read part of the statement from the DPP.
He added, “After reviewing the evidence in detail, I have authorized the prosecution of six individuals, including the named officers—Samson Kiprotich Talaam, James Mukhwana, and Peter Kimani—on murder charges.”
All six suspects are currently appearing before the Kibera High Court, where they are facing charges of murder as defined under Section 204 of the Penal Code, Cap. 63 of the Laws of Kenya. These charges follow the DPP’s approval for their prosecution.
The suspects are accused of physically assaulting Ojwang while he was detained at the Central Police Station in Nairobi, an incident that allegedly led to his death on June 8, 2025.
These new developments follow an earlier ruling by the High Court, which on Wednesday last week ordered that Talaam be detained for 15 more days.
This period was intended to give the police additional time to finalize their investigations into the circumstances of Ojwang’s death. The OCS was arrested on June 13 in Eldoret.
During the ruling, Magistrate Benmark Ekhubi stated that the prosecution had provided strong reasons to justify the continued detention of Talaam without bail.
Interestingly, just two days before this court decision, the DPP had publicly accused Talaam of attempting to tamper with vital evidence by paying a technician to erase CCTV footage that could have shed light on Ojwang’s final moments in custody.
During a court appearance at the Milimani Law Courts, the DPP’s legal team revealed that Talaam was accused of interfering with sensitive digital evidence connected to the ongoing investigations.
According to the prosecution, it was discovered that Ksh3,000 had been paid to a technician to delete CCTV footage believed to be critical in uncovering what happened to the blogger while he was held at the police station.
While it was not immediately disclosed who paid the technician, the prosecution claimed that Talaam, being the person responsible for maintaining the station’s records and surveillance systems, may have instructed the technician to erase the footage.
This alleged act is being seen as a deliberate move to obstruct justice and cover up wrongdoing.
Despite the growing evidence and accusations, OCS Talaam has consistently maintained his innocence in multiple court sessions, insisting that he was not involved in the events that led to Ojwang’s tragic death.
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