Albert Ojwang’s widow says she connects deeply with Gen Z-led protests
Nevnina Onyango, the widow of late teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang, says her heart is with the young protesters filling Kenya’s streets. Speaking emotionally on Wednesday, she told the BBC that the nationwide protests reflect a pain she now knows too well.
Ojwang’s tragic death earlier this month in police custody has become one of the most symbolic cases in the growing push for justice and accountability in Kenya’s security system.
While police earlier claimed that Ojwang hurt himself, independent pathologists came to a very different conclusion. Their findings confirmed he died from blunt force trauma, injuries commonly linked to physical assault, and not self-inflicted harm.
This revelation has pushed his case into the national spotlight, fueling outrage on the streets.
Onyango, speaking amid sounds of teargas blasts in Nairobi, questioned the police approach to demonstrations. She said instead of ensuring safety, the police always turn protests into chaos by fighting unarmed citizens.
“They never learn,” she said. “Kenyans want peace, but the police always find a reason to fight them.”
Though three officers have been formally charged with Ojwang’s murder, the widow insists more names must face the law. She is especially pushing for transparency on the role of Deputy Police Chief Eliud Lagat, the officer said to have ordered her husband’s arrest following an online post criticizing him.
Lagat has since stepped aside, but no formal charges have been made against him yet.
As the streets fill with placards, candles, and chants, Albert Ojwang’s name now sits among a growing list of Kenyans killed for speaking out. His widow says the voices in the streets carry the message she hopes will spark real change.
“These protests are powerful,” she said. “They force people to listen. Maybe now they’ll hear us.”
