CCTV evidence reconstructs Albert Ojwang's final movements in ongoing murder trial

The murder trial of Albert Ojwang on Tuesday heard a detailed reconstruction of his final movements inside Central Police Station, with an Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) forensic expert guiding the court through CCTV footage that prosecutors say captured the events leading up to his removal from the station.

Joshua Mutua, IPOA's Head of Forensics and a video investigations specialist, testified before the Kibera High Court, presenting a chronological account of events based on recovered CCTV footage, photographs and his forensic examination of the station's surveillance system.

According to his testimony, the footage showed Ojwang arriving at the station alive and responsive before later being removed while unresponsive. The evidence forms part of the prosecution's case in the ongoing murder trial.

Mutua told the court that investigators pieced together Ojwang's movements using footage recovered from surveillance cameras installed at Central Police Station.

Using photographs displayed in court, he explained the layout of the station and identified the locations monitored by different cameras before walking the court through the sequence of events recorded on June 7, 2025.

According to the witness, the footage captured the period immediately before Ojwang was brought to the station, his arrival, movements within the facility and the circumstances under which he was later removed.

The forensic expert testified that the recovered recordings showed Ojwang appearing alive and responsive when he arrived at the station and during the period he remained in police custody.

He further told the court that subsequent footage showed Ojwang being removed from the station while unresponsive.

Mutua testified that his forensic investigation began on June 9, 2025, when he visited Central Police Station alongside fellow investigator Naphtali Nduhi to examine the CCTV system.

Before visiting the station, he contacted a technician identified as Dan, whose contact had been provided by a records officer.

Dan was unavailable but referred him to another technician, Aaron, who had participated in installing the station's CCTV system in 2024.

The witness said he later met Aaron outside the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) office before proceeding inside to inspect the surveillance equipment.

While examining the installation, Mutua said he observed that the Digital Video Recorder (DVR), the device used to store CCTV footage, had been disconnected from the power supply.

He instructed Aaron to reconnect the system before beginning a forensic examination of the recorder.

Mutua told the court that an analysis of the DVR logs revealed that the recording device had been formatted at 7:30:14 a.m. on June 8, 2025, while it was located inside the OCS office.

According to his testimony, the forensic examination indicated that the formatting had been deliberate.

Despite this, the witness said investigators were still able to recover crucial surveillance footage using forensic recovery techniques.

He told the court that footage was recovered not only from Central Police Station but also from Mbagathi, allowing investigators to preserve evidence relating to the movements and interactions involving police officers and the deceased.

Mutua further testified that he prepared and signed a forensic exhibit report on June 9 documenting the seizure of the DVR and what he described as its tampered state.

Before Mutua took the stand, the prosecution recalled a records office officer attached to Central Police Station, who had earlier testified in the case.

The officer concluded her testimony regarding the deletion of CCTV recordings from June 6 and June 7, 2025, and explained the circumstances under which the footage was deleted on June 8.

The murder trial is set to continue as the prosecution presents additional evidence and witnesses.