Albert Ojwang: The Standard Claims GSU Raided Newsroom Over Headline Days Before Blogger's Death

The Standard Media Group reported that General Service Unit (GSU) officers raided its newsroom days before blogger Albert Ojwang? died in police custody

The raid reportedly followed the circulation of a fake front page implicating Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat in tribal favouritism and illicit wealth

Ojwang?, who had posted similar claims on social media, was later arrested and died after being transferred from Homa Bay to Nairobi

TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has over three years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya

Days after the controversial death of blogger and X influencer Albert Ojwang?, The Standard newspaper has made a fresh revelation.

The Standard Group claimed GSU officers raided its newsroom over a fake newspaper headline. Photos: The Standard, NPS.

Source: UGC

It said GSU officers allegedly raided its newsroom over a fake newspaper cover that accused a top police boss of corruption.

The incident reportedly took place at the Standard Group headquarters on April 22. According to the media house, a Toyota Probox with the registration number KDD 055Z drove into its parking lot. The number plates, however, were said to belong to a Subaru Forester.

Why did GSU raid Standard Media?

Inside the vehicle were General Service Unit officers. They identified themselves and claimed they were investigating a newspaper front page that had gone viral on social media.

The fake headline, titled The Richest Cop, accused Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat of amassing wealth through a network of tribal allies allegedly placed in strategic police positions to collect revenue for him.

KTN, a TV station under the Standard Group, said in a bulletin that the officers engaged the company?s leadership. Upon confirming that the headline was fabricated and not published by the group, the officers left the premises.

"KTN can now reveal that days before Ojwang's death, a Toyota Probox bearing registration number KDD 055Z, drove into Standard Group's parking lot on April 22. Inside were officers from the GSU," the news outlet reported.

But the matter did not end there.

Days later, another counterfeit front page with the headline The Mafia Cop surfaced online.

Around the same period, Albert Ojwang? was arrested in Homa Bay and transported to Nairobi, where he later died under unclear circumstances while in police custody.

What did Albert Ojwang post prior to arrest?

TUKO.co.ke previously reported that Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja told the Senate that Ojwang? had posted defamatory content targeting senior police officials.

One of his viral posts echoed the claims made in the fake headline, linking DIG Lagat to favouritism, misuse of police structures, and even to a multimillion-shilling Dubai property deal.

Ojwang?s post described Lagat as a "mafia cop" and claimed that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) was pursuing him, a claim the EACC has since denied.

Following these posts, DIG Lagat lodged a complaint with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on June 4. This triggered a probe by the Serious Crimes Unit.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat was implicated in the fake newspaper titles that led to Albert Ojwang's arrest. Photo: NPS.

Source: UGC

How was Ojwang traced and arrested?

Kanja told senators that digital forensic teams, in collaboration with the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), traced Ojwang?s X account activity.

They linked it to a group of users publishing similar content. This led to the arrest of Kevin Moinde in Kisii, who, during interrogation, named Ojwang? as one of four contributors behind the posts.

However, a twist emerged when the Communications Authority distanced itself from the investigation. It said it does not have real-time access to social media data and is not legally allowed to share such information with police.

Source: TUKO.co.ke