Embattled Nairobi OCS Samson Talam has been granted more time to decide how to proceed with his High Court petition seeking an inquest into the controversial death of blogger Albert Ojwang’, who died while in police custody.
Talam, who has already been charged in connection with the death, filed a petition urging the court to halt the criminal proceedings and instead order a judicial inquest to independently determine the circumstances surrounding Ojwang’s demise. He argues that the case has been marred by premature conclusions and that only a neutral inquiry can uncover the truth.
Appearing before the High Court, Talam’s lawyer, Danstan Omari, told the judge that 90 percent of the prayers in the petition had already been overtaken by events and requested a brief adjournment to take comprehensive instructions from his client.
“We shall be seeking the matter to be mentioned on Friday to take instructions from our client, because most of the prayers have been overtaken by events. Once we take full instructions, we can advise on the appropriate direction,” said Omari.
The presiding judge agreed, stating: “We just have to give Omari time to get instructions. Let’s wait until Friday.”
The case will now be mentioned on July 4 at 12 noon for further directions, including the possibility of withdrawing the petition or seeking amendments to reflect the changed legal context.
The developments come amid a wider probe into Ojwang’s death, which has seen at least six officers, including Talam, charged with murder. The incident has triggered widespread public concern and is under investigation by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
