Why DIG Lagat is under siege

Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat is a man under siege.

The public is baying for his blood while the political elite are united in calling for his sacking following the gruesome murder of Albert Ojwang while in police custody.

Even key members of President William Ruto’s inner circle are disappointed that key officers within the security sector are a letdown and could jeopardise the President’s re-election bid.

Ojwang', a high school teacher and social media influencer, was picked up from his home in Homa Bay county on Saturday and driven to his death in police custody in Nairobi.

Lagat — a top cop and an influential figure in Ruto’s administration — was the complainant in the case, where Ojwang was accused of false publication.

Lawyers have trashed the arrest as abuse of power as false publication is not a criminal offence.

Leaders are now calling on Lagat to resign and face criminal prosecution.

“Eliud Lagat, the DIG and complainant in the allegations that caused the arrest of Albert Ojwang', should be suspended pending investigations on what role he may have played in the extrajudicial execution,” PLP leader Martha Karua said.

Apart from the rampant, never-ending abductions of young Kenyans on flimsy grounds, police have been in the spotlight for extrajudicial executions.

Last month, police opened fire at Lolkuruk village in Angama Mara area, Narok county, killing three people and seriously injuring seven others.

The shooting that was widely condemned was linked to a land tussle.

Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka termed Ojwang’s killers as “Kenya Kwanza-sponsored homeboys killer squad”.

Kisumu Town MP Rosa Buyu, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and top civil society players have also called on Lagat to resign.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga strongly condemned the murder of Ojwang, warning that it could trigger chaos and the collapse of the Kenyan state.

“While these deaths cause tremendous pain to individuals and their families, they seriously erode the authority and credibility of the police and the state, and that is a significant step towards chaos and collapse,” Raila stated.

When citizens can no longer tell the difference between police injustice and mob injustice, Raila warned, Kenya is staring at the reality of failure.

Buyu said it’s a mockery that Lagat was still in office and playing a role in the murder probe.

 “It is important that the officer resigns or steps down to allow for free and transparent investigations.”

She spoke in company of fellow members of the Security Committee, including Opondo Kaluma (Homa ), Oku Kaunya (Teso North) and Peter Masara (Suna West).

Former Law Society of Kenya president Nelson Havi also placed the blame on the doorstep of the DIG, demanding he takes responsibility for the death of the blogger.

“He is the principal suspect and it does not matter whether the killing was done by him, by others in his presence or absence. Eliud Lagat should be arrested and charged with murder. Anything else is a cover up,” Havi posted on X on Tuesday.

Homa Bay Town MP Kaluma accused security department of making work difficult for the government by their overreach, which ends up being blamed on other offices.

“The constitution is very clear on how policing should be done, adhere to the constitution. Police officers are going overboard and the blame is taken to other offices,” Kaluma said.

The death of Ojwang has triggered a storm in the political landscape, with the government being faulted for overseeing the systematic killing of critics.

In Parliament, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula directed Security Committee chairman Gabriel Tongoyo (Kajiado West) to furnish the House with a preliminary report on the ongoing investigations into Ojwang’s death.

Martha Karua accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of normalising abductions and the killing of Kenyans.

“When the William Ruto regime normalised abductions, torture, disappearances and executions of critics of the regime, they set in motion the rule of the jungle, which leads to the unwarranted arrests and executions,” Karua posted on X.