Police spokesperson Muchiri admits fault in reporting Albert Ojwang's death

National Police Service Spokesperson Michael Nyaga Muchiri. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard]

Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri has acknowledged police were wrong in giving Kenyans misleading reports regarding the death of  blogger Albert Ojwang’ in a police cell.

Speaking in an interview on Citizen TV today, Muchiri said that it was a big mistake and shameful to lie to citizens.

 “When the report was presented to us, it did not seem suspicious at first, but after going through it, we identified several mistakes. Afterwards, another report was presented correcting the previous mistakes,” said Muchiri.

The spokesperson said that when a report comes up, it goes through different levels before being released.

He promised to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated in future.

“The one who released the report is in court, as it is wrong to mislead the police,” Muchiri stated. “The police should be cautious in such cases to avoid repetition in future.” He added.

Muchiri also regretted the killing of hawker Boniface Kariuki by police officers, promising that justice will be served. 

He said the role of police is to protect citizens, not kill them.

He clarified instances when a police officer is supposed to use a gun are when his life or someone else’s life is in danger.

“An officer is not supposed to shoot to kill; he or she is taught which part of the body to shoot in a critical circumstance,” he said.

He regretted the deaths of both Boniface and Albert, saying they would not happen again.