Retired Chief Justice David Maraga has called for the immediate shutdown of President William Ruto’s administration following the death of Albert Omondi Ojwang in police custody.
In a strongly-worded statement released on Tuesday, Maraga cited the autopsy report by the Government Pathologist, which he says confirms that Ojwang was “brutalised, strangled, tortured and murdered by the police.”
The 2027 presidential aspirant further cited the infamous Gen Z protests, where more than 100 youths lost their lives over police brutality, as he condemned President Ruto’s administration for abetting extrajudicial killings.
“This brutal murder, falling nearly on the one-year anniversary of the killing, maiming and abduction of hundreds of young Kenyans, is evidence that William Ruto’s administration does not appreciate that the people of Kenya are sovereign. His administration has therefore lost legitimacy to continue being in power,” he said in the statement.
Maraga expressed concern over the rising number of police killings and enforced disappearances, stating that they have “increased in geometric progression under this regime.”
The former CJ described Ojwang’s death as “the last straw,” accusing the government of turning a blind eye to alleged state-sponsored terror.
“It is not normal, not acceptable and totally indefensible for enforced disappearance to rise by 450% in one year,” he added.
“We refuse to be a country where parents have their children kidnapped in broad daylight, tortured and killed by State-sponsored terror. Albert’s murder is the last straw. The Ruto administration has for long now taken Kenyans for granted.”
He stated that Kenya must now “draw the line against impunity and the breakdown of the rule of law,” adding:
“It is abundantly clear that this regime will not and cannot govern. We now demand the regime shut down, make way for a reset to the rule of law and accountability; a restoration to the values respecting human life; and a rebuilding of our nation’s institutions that now point towards State failure.”
