We're not here for TikTok bites - Kingi lashes out at Senators

Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi on Wednesday morning lashed out at Senators during an inquest on the death of Albert Ojwang.

"Honorable Senators, we are not here for TikTok bites. We are here on a very serious matter," he said.

This was after Senators began disagreeing on the matter, just after Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja took the floor.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had addressed the House and invited Kanja, but before he could speak, there was a disruption.

Kingi called on the House leaders for consultations before he ordered the Senators to take their seats.

The Speaker noted that the death of Ojwang had affected the entire country, pointing out that it did not just have an impact on any one senator.

"This matter has affected everybody. Everybody is in pain. So let us not try to show the world that it is only an individual in this chamber that is in pain," he said.

Kingi noted that the CS and IG will be interrogated by the senators.

Ojwang died in police custody, with the autopsy showing that he was assaulted.

"The cause of death is very clear; head injury, neck compression and other injuries spread all over the body that are pointing towards assault," state pathologist Bernard Midia said.

The 31-year-old teacher was detained over a post on X that was allegedly critical of Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat.

Ojwang was arrested in Homa Bay on Friday. He was subsequently transferred over 350km to Nairobi, and booked into the Central Police Station on Saturday.

Police said he was later found unconscious in his cell with self-inflicted injuries.

But an autopsy, conducted by five pathologists who released a unanimous report, revealed that Ojwang had severe head injuries and suffered neck compression and multiple soft tissue trauma.

Midia, who led the team of pathologists, said that Ojwang did not hit himself on the wall, as the police had earlier on claimed.