Slain Ojwang resigned from Kituma secondary last year

An activist protest outside Nairobi Funeral Home demanding justice following Albert Ojwang’s death in police custody. June 9, 2025. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Slain teacher Albert Ojwang had resigned last year from Kituma Secondary School in Mwatate, Taita Taveta County, where he worked as a Board of Management (BOG) teacher. 

The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (Kuppet) said Ojwanga was teaching Kiswahili and Christian Religious Education (CRE) after graduating from Pwani University.

Kuppet Branch Executive Secretary Ismael Omoke, the late teacher-turned-prominent online influencer, temporarily worked at the school before he resigned to concentrate on blogging.

Omoke said Ojwang was very passionate about social media and that sometimes he could skip classes for a week and engage in blogging and other online jobs.

“The deceased had a passion for social media, and reports from the school indicate that he was, in most cases, out of school. He used to stay for a week outside without going to teach,” revealed Mr Omoke yesterday.

The union official said they had not heard of him after leaving the county until the sad news broke about his untimely death on Monday.

“He was not an employee of the Teachers Service Commission. He quit the job and did not know where he went after leaving the county,” said Omoke in an interview yesterday.

Other teachers in the school vividly remember him as a good man who interacted with many in the region.

“Ojwang was a good teacher with a sense of character and humour. He made many friends and interacted with people in his activism work,” said a teacher who briefly interacted with him.

“During break and lunchtime and after classes, Ojwang was always busy with his mobile phone. You could not separate him from his phone,” said the teacher at Kituma Secondary.

Ojwang’s death is among many unresolved mysterious death cases which had occurred at police stations.

In the county, police are yet to unravel the circumstances under which Sylvester Mwangoji Mwadime died while at Werugha Police Patrol Base in Taita Sub County.

But the police have since denied allegations of torture as the cause of death, clarifying that the victim died of strangulation inside the cell, as blame games and protests over the death ensued.

“The prisoner was trying to strangle himself using his jumper string (hood) from the cell roof before cutting it and falling to the floor." "He was confirmed dead on arrival at Wesu Sub County Hospital,” said a police officer aware of the incident.

Former Werugha Sward MCA Jason Tuja led a protest demanding justice.

Tuja said the deceased was summoned by the police and went to the station over domestic issues, but never returned home alive or was arraigned.

“The family later got reports that the lifeless body of their son was lying at Wesu Sub County Hospital mortuary,” he alleged.

“We were also informed by the mortuary attendants that the police brought his body to the mortuary. Our relative died at the hands of the police, who should take responsibility.

"We are still wondering why the police did not notify the relatives about the death, and we are demanding thorough investigations and action taken against police officers involved in the incident,” noted Tuja.

Police dismissed as false and misleading reports by the villagers and leaders that the deceased died of torture.

They explained that the deceased was a serial offender and was arrested by Corporal Robert Munyao and remanded at the police station, waiting for prosecution. The police commander gave the OB Number 09/11/04/2025.

“That one prisoner, namely Sylvester Mwangoji Mwadime, who was arrested today in the afternoon hours for the offence of offensive conduct, was being held at the post cell pending collection to Wundanyi police station,” stated the police report on the incident.

The police officers said that while at the station, they heard a scream from inside the cell, then rushed in and found the prisoner trying to strangle himself using his jumper string (hood) from the cell roof before cutting it and falling to the floor.

“The OCS was called, who assisted in lifting up the prisoner who was taken to Wesu sub-county hospital. And upon examination by the clinical officer, he was pronounced dead with the cause of death alleged to be strangulation, stated the senior police officer.

The police officer said IPOA officials are now investigating the incident and have instructed the police not to conduct any post-mortem without their presence.

“The matter is now in the hands of IPOA, which is investigating the matter, and if they find out that police officers were involved in the death, then action will be taken against the involved individuals,” said the officer.