Former DP Rigathi Gachagua at a rally in Mombasa. Photo Courtesy. 
Andrew Mbuva
The brutal killing of 23-year-old Albert Ojwang in police custody has sparked a wave of national outrage, with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua condemning the government and top police leadership for what he termed as “state-sponsored murder.”
Ojwang, a vocal GenZ activist from Homa Bay County, was allegedly arrested on the orders of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat for a social media post criticizing the senior police officer.
He was later transferred to Central Police Station in Nairobi, where he reportedly died under suspicious circumstances.
In a strongly worded statement, Gachagua condemned the Ruto administration, calling for immediate suspension of DIG Lagat and a thorough, independent investigation into the death.
“In the strongest terms possible, I condemn this cowardly act by the killers and call for speedy investigations. The culprits must be brought to book,” Gachagua stated.
He went on to directly implicate Mr. Lagat in what he called a "calculated execution" of a young Kenyan whose only crime was exercising his constitutional right to free expression.
“The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Eliud Lagat, is the complainant and the one who ordered the arrest in the alleged ‘crime’ that Ojwang committed—making a fair comment on social media. He must take full responsibility for this murder,” said Gachagua.
Describing Lagat’s conduct as rogue and unbecoming of a senior public officer, Gachagua alleged that the DIG has been operating key Nairobi police stations without the knowledge of the Inspector General of Police.
“DIG Eliud Lagat is personally operating Kamukunji and Central Police Stations behind the IG’s back. People are complaining that those two stations have become the new torture chambers.”
The former DP connected Ojwang’s death to a broader pattern of youth repression, labeling the current administration a “blood-based government.”
“There has been no worse mutilation of our freedoms in Kenya than under this regime. The so-called Broad-based Government is actually a Blood-Based Government, whose engine is powered by the blood of GenZs,” he charged.
He also recounted a personal incident from April 6, 2025, where police allegedly withdrew from a church service in Mwiki under Lagat’s orders, allowing goons to attack him and congregants—a move he said illustrates Lagat’s political weaponization of the police.
Gachagua dismissed the suspension of junior officers from Central Police Station as a smokescreen, demanding top-level accountability.
“Suspending junior officers is hoodwinking Kenyans. For any meaningful investigation to be done, Mr. Eliud Lagat must be suspended immediately.”
To the family of Albert and the youth of Kenya, Gachagua offered a message of solidarity.
“To the family of Albert, the people of Homa Bay County, and the people of Kenya—especially the GenZs—I stand with you in seeking justice. What have the young people done to deserve these macabre killings? What have the parents done to lose their children in the hands of this dictatorial regime?”
Gachagua closed his statement with a stinging rebuke of President William Ruto.
“Mr. President, leave our children alone. You swore by the Holy Bible to protect the lives and property of Kenyans. William and your cabal—how many gallons of blood do you need to be okay? Kenya is not a mafia state!”
