Kenyan doctors said Tuesday that a man who died in police custody over the weekend, sparking protests and widespread anger, died from receiving blows to the head. Albert Ojwang, 31, was arrested over posts on social media criticising police deputy inspector-general Eliud Kipkoech Lagat. Police initially said he died in his cell after hitting his own head against the wall. But lead pathologist Geoffrey Mutuma told reporters the cause of death was “head injuries caused by blunt trauma”. “There were a lot of injuries in the skin, in the back… inflicted with a lot of force,” Mutuma said. Ojwang also had “what we call self-defence injuries”, he added.Protesters have gathered at the morgue since Monday to demand answers from the police. Kenya was already on edge as it marks a year since massive protests over tax rises and corruption that triggered a police response in which at least 60 were killed.Rights groups say dozens more were illegally detained in the aftermath, with many still missing, and others have been arrested for mild criticism of the government and President William Ruto. “This is a heavy burden for my family,” said the victim’s father, Meshack Ojwang.Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga wrote on X that Ojwang “joins the horrifying long list of young and defenceless Kenyans whose lives have been taken too soon, in brutal and senseless circumstances, at the hands of the police.” Odinga, who forged an alliance with Ruto’s government this year, said the deaths “seriously erode the authority and credibility of the police and the state”.
