MAWEGO POLICE STATION OFFICERS TRANSFERED

The National Police Service has confirmed that all police officers previously stationed at Mawego Police Station in Homa Bay have been relocated to the neighboring Kendu Bay Police Station. This comes a day after the Mawego station was set on fire by enraged mourners protesting the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang. Efforts by Ojwang’s grieving family to calm the crowd was unsuccessful, as locals, shouting in their local dialect that their son had never killed anyone, intensified their demands for justice. This forced the officers to flee the station during the unrest.

 Ojwang had been temporarily detained at Mawego Police Station after his arrest early last month. He was later transferred to Nairobi over defamation allegations against Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat. Tensions boiled over on Thursday when mourners escorting Ojwang’s body home were intercepted by an angry mob. The crowd removed the coffin from the hearse and carried it to the police station while chanting for justice. After demonstrating outside the station, the protesters set the station on fire before heading to the late teacher’s home.

The NPS has initiated investigations into the incident and circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s death. NPS has also stated that the reconstruction of the station will depend on ongoing consultations with residents. Ojwang’s death has ignited national outrage and renewed fears over a surge in extrajudicial killings in Kenya, particularly those targeting government critics. Human rights groups, opposition leaders, and some government officials have joined the growing outcry for accountability and justice in Ojwang’s case.