The murder trial over the death of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang took a new turn on Tuesday after the Kibera High Court viewed CCTV footage showing him arriving at Nairobi Central Police Station alive, making phone calls and waiting at the report office before he was taken to the police cells where prosecutors say he was later killed.
The footage was produced in court by Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) forensic investigator Joshua Mutua, who said the recordings captured Ojwang arriving at the station at about 9.23pm on June 7, 2025.
Mutua told the court that Ojwang appeared alert throughout the period captured on camera. The footage showed him speaking on his mobile phone before sitting in the report office for about 15 minutes, after which he was escorted into the holding cells.
The investigator also testified that forensic analysis established the police station's CCTV power cable had been unplugged and the surveillance system's hard drives formatted on the morning of June 8, 2025.
Even so, he said investigators successfully recovered hundreds of gigabytes of footage, which was later verified using forensic examination tools.
Mutua continued guiding the court through the recovered recordings, pointing out the movements of police officers and other people captured at different parts of the station as the prosecution sought to piece together what happened before and after Ojwang was placed in custody.
Earlier in the hearing, a protected witness identified Police Constable Peter Kimani as the officer serving as the cell sentry on the night Ojwang was detained.
Video footage shown in court placed Kimani at several locations inside the station, including near the police cells and at the main entrance.
The witness told the court that police procedures give the cell sentry sole responsibility for controlling access to the cells.
She explained that investigating officers, suspects being booked into custody and people delivering food to detainees are among those allowed access, while the sentry also has the authority to deny entry to anyone seeking to access the cell block.
The witness further testified that the officer on duty is responsible for anything that happens inside the cells during that shift.
As the footage continued to play, the witness pointed out two unidentified men who were seen talking to PC Kimani at the station's main entrance before walking deeper into the premises.
Although she identified Kimani, the witness said the identities of the two men had not been established.
The court also viewed footage from several cameras installed around the station. The witness explained the areas covered by each camera and identified locations including the main entrance, corridors and routes leading to the police cells.
The CCTV evidence is expected to help the prosecution trace the movements of officers and other individuals inside the station on the night Ojwang was detained.
Earlier proceedings also heard claims that CCTV recordings from the station had been deleted and that the station's Digital Video Recorder (DVR) was later formatted, allegations the prosecution says were aimed at interfering with evidence.
Former Nairobi Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam, Police Constable Peter Kimani, Police Constable James Mukhwana and three civilians are jointly charged with the murder of Albert Omondi Ojwang.
All six accused persons have denied the charges, and the hearing before the Kibera High Court is continuing.