Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Kenya Police Service Eliud Kipkoech Lagat Monday stepped aside following pressure over the death of teacher Albert Ojwang.
The top police boss’ name has been at the centre of investigations on the unexplained murder of Ojwang’, after he made a defamation complaint leading to the deceased’s arrest.
He said he was sorry for the death of Ojwang.
“In the good and conscious thought of my role and responsibilities as The Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Service, and in view of the ongoing investigations on the unfortunate incident of the death of Mr.
Albert Ojwang, I have today opted to step aside from the office of the Deputy Inspector General – Kenya Police Service pending completion of investigations.”
“The functions of the office will henceforth be perfomed by my deputy until completion of the investigations.”
“I undertake to provide any support that may be required of me during the investigations of the unfortunate incident. I offer immense condolences to the family of Mr. Albert Ojwang for their great loss,” he said in a statement.
This was after he had met president William Ruto to asked him to step aside to allow the ongoing probe.
There has been pressure for his exit from the service over the death.
Inspector General (IG) Douglas Kanja told Senators on June 11 that the probe started when online posts claimed DIG Lagat was involved in corruption within the National Police Service (NPS).
Kanja said the process began on June 4, 2025, when Langat filed a formal complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The complaint concerned a series of posts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) accusing Langat of corrupt activities within the National Police Service.
According to one post, Langat strategically placed loyal officers in charge of key departments such as the DCI desks, Occurrence Book (OB), and traffic units to control the flow of revenue and intelligence.
“The post claimed that he was involved in corruption within the NPS. Specifically, the published information alleged that Lagat has strategically placed his most trusted officers in charge of the DCI books desk and traffic shifts in order to control both revenue streams and intelligence flow,” Kanja said.
In another post, Langat was pictured with an officer named Chirchir and alleged to have purchased a $2.6 million property in Dubai.
The post also stated that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) was investigating Langat.
“EACC investigating top cop after purchase of $2.6 million home in Dubai, accompanied by Lagat’s image and the headline “Eliud Lagat mafia police”.
The case was filed under the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Act, and a team of five officers was assigned to investigate.
On the same day, Senior Superintendent Hillary Mutai, who heads the Serious Crimes Unit, recorded Langat’s statement at Vigilance House.
The investigators also wrote to the EACC to verify the claims made in the social media posts and reached out to the Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) to request registration details and preservation of content from the X account in question.
CAK responded, confirming the account was active and had approximately 13,400 followers.
The EACC also replied on June 4, clarifying that Langat was not under any investigation.
Kanja stated that investigators concluded the allegations lacked factual basis, but CAK directly linked the X posts to specific individuals, including the late Ojwang.
Kanja told the Senate that the investigators found sufficient grounds to arrest those responsible, citing a prima facie case under the cybercrimes law.
On June 5, investigators arrested one of the suspects, Kelvin Moinde, at his residence and booked him at Kenyenya Police Station before transferring him to DCI Headquarters in Nairobi.
During interrogation, Moinde reportedly disclosed the names of several accomplices, including Albert Ojwang, Dorcas Mawia, Douglas Marigiri, and Peter Mbugua.
He also provided their respective X account handles.
Investigators later confirmed that Ojwang had authored similar defamatory posts on his own account.
On June 7, officers visited Mawego Police Station, where they were assigned three officers to accompany them to Ojwang’s home.
He was arrested, briefly held at Mawego Police Station, and later transferred to Nairobi the same day.
During a stopover in Narok, the officers reported that Ojwang asked for refreshments and was given water, soda, and biscuits.
The team arrived at Central Police Station in Nairobi at 9:17 p.m. At 9:24 p.m., Ojwang called his wife and informed her that he had arrived safely.
He was booked into custody by Police Constable Mohamed Rashid at 9:35 p.m., following a confirmation of his normal physical and mental condition by the Officer.
However, in the early hours of June 8, officers conducting a routine cell check reported they had found Ojwang unconscious.
He was rushed to Mbagathi Hospital and declared dead upon arrival at 1:31 a.m. According to Kanja, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) was notified shortly thereafter.
IPOA preliminary investigations report shows CCTV camera at Central Police station was interfered with.
An autopsy on the body had shown he was clobbered and strangled.
At least four police officers and two civilians have since been arrested over the murder.
