Witness describes final CCTV images seen before Albert Ojwang footage disappeared

The murder trial over the death of detainee Albert Ojwang took a turn on Monday after a protected prosecution witness testified that CCTV footage at Nairobi's Central Police Station appeared to show a police officer and two unidentified individuals carrying what looked like a heavy object shortly before the recordings were allegedly erased.

The testimony was presented before the High Court at Kibera as the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) continued leading evidence against six accused persons charged in connection with Ojwang's death.

The accused are former Central Police Station Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samson Kiprotich Talaam, James Mukhwana, Peter Kimani, John Ngige Gitau, Gin Ammitou Abwao and Brian Mwaniki Njue.

The third prosecution witness, a protected records officer identified only as AA, told the court that they reported for duty on the morning of June 8, 2025, and were informed by the OCS that a detainee had died in the station cells.

The witness testified that they later reviewed CCTV footage together with the Deputy OCS.

According to the witness, the recordings showed Police Constable Kimani in the company of two unidentified individuals near the cell area.

The witness further testified that the three were seen walking towards the last cell before later emerging while carrying what appeared to be a heavy object.

"The footage showed Police Constable Kimani in the company of two unidentified individuals near the cell area. The three proceeded towards the last cell before later emerging while carrying what appeared to be a heavy object back towards the same cell," the witness testified.

However, the witness told the court that they could not identify what the object was from the footage.

"I could not identify the object being carried," the witness testified.

The court heard that this testimony relates to footage that prosecutors allege was later erased from the station's CCTV system.

Earlier in the proceedings, another protected witness identified only as DAN, who installed the CCTV surveillance system at Central Police Station in 2024, testified about being asked to erase footage recorded on June 6 and June 7, 2025.

The witness told the court that they were summoned to the station on June 8 by a records officer and later escorted to the OCS's office.

According to DAN, they were instructed to delete recordings from the two specific dates. However, the witness explained that this was not technically possible.

"Deleting footage for only the specified dates was not technically possible," the witness testified, adding that the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) instead had to be formatted.

DAN told the court that after receiving approval from the OCS, they logged into the CCTV system using the records office credentials, confirmed that footage for the requested dates existed and proceeded to format the DVR without viewing the recordings.

The witness further testified that they received Sh3,000 from the first accused, Samson Kiprotich Talaam, after completing the task.

DAN also told the court they were later instructed to return with two hard disks, only to be informed they were no longer needed.

Despite this, the witness testified that they had already bought the hard disks and were paid Sh20,000 in cash.

The witness added that they were later informed their contact details had been shared with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) before being arrested on June 13, 2025, and recording a statement with investigators.

The court also heard from CCTV installation technician Aaron Okwako, who testified that he was called to Central Police Station on June 9, 2025, after IPOA officers requested technical assistance.

Okwako told the court that he found the DVR disconnected from the power supply and that it only resumed recording after being reconnected.

Following his examination, he testified that the footage investigators were seeking could not be retrieved.

Based on his technical assessment, Okwako told the court that the DVR had most likely been formatted rather than selectively edited, making recovery of the missing recordings impossible.

The prosecution produced photographs of the OCS's office, the DVR and the CCTV display system as exhibits during the hearing.

The DPP is seeking to prove its case against the six accused persons through witness testimony and forensic evidence presented before Justice Diana Kavedza.

The hearing is scheduled to continue on July 21, 2026, as the prosecution continues presenting its witnesses.