Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma has sparked national debate after claiming that the torching of Mawego Police Station was not the work of local youths but rather of goons allegedly ferried from Nairobi.
His remarks came just hours after shocking scenes in which angry youths, carrying the body of slain teacher and social media activist Albert Ojwang, stormed the police station demanding justice and later set parts of it on fire.
According to Kaluma, the Mawego community, including students from Mawego National Polytechnic, had no hand in the destruction.
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Posting on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday evening, Kaluma strongly defended local youths, insisting they have lived peacefully beside the station for years and respected the officers even after Ojwang’s controversial death in custody.
“The goons who have burnt Mawego Police Station were ferried from Nairobi,” he wrote, distancing the community from what he described as a coordinated act of violence.
He further emphasized that, “Our students from Mawego and our students from across our land didn’t burn the Station. They have lived with the Station all these years, and even after our son Albert Ojwang was killed.”
The events unfolded in a gripping and emotional atmosphere on Thursday afternoon. Hundreds of mourners and outraged youths took possession of Ojwang’s body and marched to Mawego Police Station, the place where he was initially detained before being transferred to Nairobi.
The march, at first peaceful, turned chaotic when the crowd, fueled by grief and anger, found the police station unguarded.
Officers had reportedly fled moments before the procession arrived. The protestors, many holding placards and chanting slogans, accused police of being complicit in Ojwang’s death and demanded accountability.
Without warning, flames erupted, engulfing sections of the station. Eyewitness videos circulating on social media show thick smoke billowing into the air, and mourners surrounding the area as the fire consumed vital infrastructure.
Critical offices, including that of the Officer Commanding Station, were destroyed, along with important files such as the occurrence book and key witness statements. Police reinforcements later arrived at the scene but could do little to save what remained.
Albert Ojwang’s arrest and subsequent death in police custody have ignited outrage nationwide. He had been apprehended at his father’s home and taken to Mawego Police Station before being transferred to Nairobi’s Central Police Station, where he died under unclear circumstances.
His case has been seen as another example of police brutality, and his name has quickly become a rallying cry in the fight against injustice.
Ojwang is scheduled to be laid to rest on July 4 in Kokwanyo village, Homa Bay County. As his family, friends, and fellow activists prepare for the burial, pressure is mounting on authorities to investigate not only the cause of his death but also the identity of those behind the violent scenes in Mawego.
Kaluma’s assertion that goons from Nairobi were hired to sabotage local protests raises further questions about who may be orchestrating efforts to derail what many saw as a peaceful call for justice.
As Kenya watches this story unfold, the people of Homa Bay continue to grieve, but also to demand answers, about Albert Ojwang, the fire, and what kind of justice they can expect in a country where death in custody still goes unanswered.
