Police said Kenya’s independent police oversight agency has begun investigating the death of a man who was detained in a “false publication.”
Albert Ojwang was arrested in the western Homa Bay and then drove 350 kilometers (220 miles) to the capital, his father, Meshack Opiyo, told reporters.
“During the detention, the suspect suffered head injuries on the wall of the cell,” the police statement said. He was taken to the hospital “was declared dead when he was announced.”
The director of Kenya Rights Group International Rights Group told the BBC that the death of Mr Ojwang, who was described as a teacher and blogger in the report, was “very suspicious”.
Amnesty International said in a statement that his death “raised serious issues that must be urgent, thorough and independent inquiry.”
The Star quoted senior police officer Stephen Okal as saying that what happened in the cell was “attempted suicide.”
The allegations mentioned by the “false publication” are not clear, but Mr Opiyo told online news site Citizen Digital that the arrested police said: “Albert insulted senior personnel on social media platform X”.
Amnesty International Kenyan Director Irangu Houghton refers to his arrest, saying Mr Ojwang did not book at the local police station after being detained, but was taken to the local police station during a long journey.
He called on independent investigators to ensure what he called the “crime scene” at the police station in Nairobi.
Police said Mr. Awon was “legally arrested.”
His detention and death came at a time when people paid attention to how certain government critics were treated.
Last week, software developer Rose Njeri created a tool to help people fight against the government’s finance bill – accused of violating the cybercrime law.
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