Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Former police spokesperson Charles Owino has defended the controversial decision to move blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang from Homa Bay to Nairobi following his arrest.

Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay over allegations that he had posted defamatory content about Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Eliud Lagat.

According to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, it was Lagat himself who filed the initial complaint, accusing the blogger of tarnishing his name on social media.

After his arrest, Ojwang was transported overnight to Nairobi and booked at Central Police Station under OB number 136/7/6/2025 at 9:35pm.

Owino's sentiments come amid growing outrage over the 26-year-old’s unexplained death in police custody.

Appearing on Ramogi TV, Owino argued that the transfer was lawful and necessary, given that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Nairobi was leading the case.

According to him, Ojwang was not being investigated locally in Homa Bay, but rather by Nairobi-based cybercrime detectives.

"He could not be detained in Homa Bay because he was being investigated by the DCI headquarters. The jurisdiction allowed because they wanted to charge him with false publication under the Computer and Cyber Crime Act. You know, there are a lot of things that must be done; there is forensic, data, looking into the phones, there are a lot of forensic analysis for him to be charged and here is where we have the team doing it," Owino stated.

The circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death have triggered a wave of criticism and calls for justice, especially given that the complainant in the case is a high-ranking police official.

Addressing the concerns, Owino suggested that the arrest and transfer may have been influenced by deeper power struggles within the police service.

He claimed that the investigation may have been an attempt to uncover whether external actors were using individuals to wage internal smear campaigns.

"It is unfortunate and something that I've never heard since I joined the police service. I already asked what it was that forced, but they say that because of the infighting, people are thinking that there are people inside the service using people outside to tarnish their colleague's name. They wanted to know who might be using people to tarnish other people's reputations," Owino revealed.

According to Owino, the arresting officers may have had broader motivations than simply responding to the alleged defamatory post.

"I think that was the main purpose of the investigation. Meaning that even the person arresting him was doing it with the intention to know who sent him, or it's something he saw online, and he shared it too," he added.

In a related development, the National Police Service said disciplinary action had been taken against senior officers following the death of Ojwang.

Police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga announced that several officers from Central Police Station had been interdicted to enable an independent probe.

He explained that the decision aimed to give the Independent Policing Oversight Authority space to investigate without interference.

Those interdicted include the OCS, the duty officer on shift that night, the cell sentry supervising detainees, and officers manning the report office at the time.

Source: TUKO.co.ke