DCI Boss Mohammed Amin Denies Misleading Senate Over Teacher Albert Ojwang’s Death
Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohammed Amin has firmly denied accusations of perjury following his appearance before the Senate regarding the mysterious death of teacher Albert Ojwang while in police custody. In a press statement delivered at DCI headquarters, Amin defended his earlier testimony, asserting that all the details he presented to Parliament were derived directly from official police records and not fabricated.
The controversy erupted after Amin told Senators that Ojwang was last seen shouting inside his cell at Central Police Station at around 1:35 a.m., based on entries in the digital Occurrence Book (OB). However, this timeline has been challenged by CCTV footage aired by Citizen TV showing the teacher being wheeled into Mbagathi Hospital at precisely the same time. The footage created a national uproar, with critics accusing the DCI boss of lying under oath in an apparent attempt to cover up what many believe was a case of police brutality and mishandling.
Amin has since responded to these allegations by clarifying that his remarks were not personal assertions but reflections of the information logged into the digital OB system. He explained that if discrepancies exist, they may be the result of technical or human error in data entry rather than deliberate misinformation. “I swore before the Senate to tell the truth, and I stand by that oath,” Amin stated. “The details I shared were not my own interpretations but official records available in our digital systems.”
However, his statement did little to quiet public outrage. Legal experts, civil rights groups, and a section of lawmakers are now calling for further investigation into Amin’s testimony. Some legal commentators have argued that the contradiction between the CCTV footage and the OB records is so significant that it warrants perjury charges. Senior Counsel Willis Otieno noted, “Someone is lying. And if it’s the Director of Criminal Investigations, this amounts to perjury—a criminal offense that cannot be taken lightly.”
The controversy over Ojwang’s death comes amid heightened public scrutiny of police conduct in Kenya, particularly following the recent anti-government protests where several demonstrators died under unclear circumstances. Amin, during the same press briefing, referred to the June 25 demonstrations as being orchestrated with the intent of destabilizing the government. He suggested that the riots bore the hallmarks of an attempted coup and vowed to hold accountable those responsible, including alleged financiers and coordinators of the unrest.
Nonetheless, the core issue remains the credibility of police records and accountability in custodial deaths. The inconsistencies between official police logs and independent CCTV evidence have raised urgent questions about the integrity of Kenya’s law enforcement systems. Activists and lawmakers are now demanding an independent inquiry into Ojwang’s death, one that is free from police interference and politically neutral.
As public pressure mounts, the Senate is expected to recall DCI Amin for further questioning. Meanwhile, rights groups have begun pushing for broader reforms in the criminal justice system, including the implementation of an independent civilian oversight body with powers to investigate and prosecute cases involving police misconduct.
For now, Mohammed Amin insists he did not lie to Parliament. But for a country still grappling with systemic issues of police abuse and institutional opacity, the burden of proof—and public trust—remains a heavy one. The case of Albert Ojwang is no longer just about a single life lost, but a test of the rule of law and the credibility of Kenya’s justice system.
