Digital strategist and political communicator Denis Itumbi has broken his silence on the controversial death of blogger Albert Ojwang, calling for urgent legal reforms and the protection of digital voices in Kenya.
Ojwang, a teacher and outspoken social media user, died under suspicious circumstances on Sunday morning while in police custody at Central Police Station in Nairobi.
He had been arrested on Friday by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for allegedly publishing critical content online.
In an emotionally charged statement, Itumbi said the incident exposes deep flaws in how bloggers and micro-bloggers are handled by law enforcement.
“Sometimes, even for those of us who deal in words daily, they fail us — and they fail me now. No sentence can soften the blow of a life lost too soon, under circumstances that trouble the heart,” he wrote.
Itumbi emphasized the need for fair, clear, and humane procedures when dealing with digital content creators, noting that current practices are outdated and often abusive.
“We need to define custodial processes — not just in law, but in practice — in a way that respects the digital age we now live in,” he said.
He also called for the complete abolition of criminal defamation laws in relation to blogging and digital expression, describing them as archaic and punitive.
“We must drop all aspects of criminal defamation on matters blogging. We must be bold and do that. That is a courageous way of encouraging self-regulation,” Itumbi stated.
While noting he would not speak extensively at this time, he hinted at working behind the scenes to initiate reforms in the digital space.
“For now, I simply stand with Albert’s family, and I pray that God Himself reaches into their home, into their broken hearts, and comforts them as only He can,” he added
