Court sets hearing dates for Ojwang' murder trial

Central Police Station OCS Samson Talaam (left), James Mukhwana (second left) and others suspects linked to the killing of blogger Albert Ojwang, before Kibera Law Court on June 23, 2025. [Collins Kweyu,Standard]

The High Court has set aside five days for marathon hearings in the murder trial of former Nairobi Central Police Station Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Samson Taalam and five co-accused over the murder of blogger Albert Ojwang.

Justice Diana Kavedza scheduled the hearing for March 17, 23, 24, 30 and 31, 2026, directing all parties to fully comply with pre-trial directions to ensure an expedited process. “All parties must comply fully with case management directions to avoid unnecessary delays,” Justice Kavedza ordered.

The judge underscored the public interest nature of the case and the urgency of its determination during a pretrial conference at which parties confirmed receipt of key evidence.

Justice Kavedza directed the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to supply some defence teams with outstanding witness statements by close of business Tuesday.

She also ordered that the original CCTV footage from Central Police Station, which the prosecution intends to rely on, be supplied to Taalam and Police Constable James Mukhwana by January 29, 2026.

This followed revelations that the two officers had not yet submitted their flash disks to IPOA to facilitate transfer of the footage. Owuor, appearing for the Law Society of Kenya (LSK), told the court that IPOA had not supplied LSK with the evidence and sought two days to submit its hard disk to IPOA.

The prosecution said it plans to call 28 witnesses to establish the accused persons’ involvement in the death of Ojwang.

Justice Kavedza directed that redacted statements of protected witnesses be supplied to all defence teams via email, noting that the protected witnesses will testify during the first two days of the hearing.

Defence lawyer Stanley Kang’ahi, representing Chief Inspector Taalam, was directed to prepare thoroughly for cross-examination.

The six accused face murder charges over the death of 31-year-old Ojwang on June 8, 2025, while in custody at Central Police Station.

Police initially claimed he sustained self-inflicted injuries, but a post-mortem found he died from physical assault. Last year, Justice Kavedza denied the accused bail, citing risks of witness interference and overwhelming public interest.