Albert Ojwang Was Assaulted and Strangled, Autopsy Confirms

An autopsy conducted on Tuesday has revealed that teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang died from severe head injuries, neck compression, and multiple soft tissue injuries consistent with assault.

The findings directly contradict an initial police report that suggested his death in custody was self-inflicted.

A team of pathologists, led by Government Pathologist Dr. Bernard Midia, concluded that Ojwang was hit in the head, strangled, and sustained multiple other injuries, ruling out the possibility of suicide.

“He had head and neck injuries. There were other multiple injuries consistent with assault,” Dr. Midia stated after concluding the post-mortem examination.

Dr. Midia firmly dismissed the police narrative that Ojwang had fatally injured himself by hitting his head against a cell wall at the Central Police Station. He explained that the pattern of injuries was inconsistent with such an act.

“When we examined… the pattern of the injury, especially on the trauma I found on the head…. Hitting against a blunt substance like a wall would have a pattern,” Dr. Midia said. He noted that a self-inflicted impact against a wall would likely cause frontal bleeding.

“But the bleeds that we found on the scalp… on the skin of the head were spaced, including on the face, sides of the head, and the back of the head,” he elaborated.

Dr. Midia, who conducted the procedure alongside the family’s representative pathologist, Dr. Mutuma Zambezi, stated that the widespread nature of the injuries pointed conclusively to an assault.

“When we tie up together with other injuries that are well spread on parts of the body… including the upper limbs and the trunk… Then this is unlikely to be self-inflicted injury,” he concluded.

With the cause of death now clarified, the focus shifts to the official investigation into the killing. The autopsy was witnessed by a team from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), alongside several human rights groups.

Reacting to the findings, Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo demanded swift action.

“It is clear the innocent teacher was assaulted and killed in custody. We demand accountability from the concerned parties,” she said.