Kenya Police Eid Message Sparks Anger After Image of Senior Officer Linked to Albert Ojwang Case

The Kenya Police Service is facing public backlash after its official social media account posted an Eid-ul-Adha message featuring Deputy Inspector General Eliud Kipkoech Lagat, at a time when public anger is still high over the killing of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang.

The post, shared on the police service’s official X account, carried the message “Eid-ul-Adha Mubarak” alongside an image of DIG Lagat dressed in Muslim attire. What was meant to be a religious goodwill message quickly turned into a public relations disaster, with many Kenyans questioning why the police service chose Lagat as the face of the message while his name remains politically and publicly linked to the wider controversy around Ojwang’s death.

Albert Ojwang’s death has become one of the most emotive police accountability stories in the country. His killing triggered national anger, with many Kenyans demanding answers on what happened, who was involved, and whether the police service is capable of investigating itself honestly. In that context, the Eid message was seen by critics as insensitive, tone-deaf, and disrespectful to both the Muslim community and the public still seeking justice.

Several social media users reacted angrily, accusing the police of ignoring the mood of the country. One user described the post as “absolute fuckery,” while another reposted media coverage of Ojwang’s death alongside the police Eid poster, implying that the institution was attempting to sanitize or normalize an officer whose public image is now heavily contested.

Cyprian Is Nyakundi also criticized the post, saying Kenya Police has thousands of Muslim officers who serve the country with dignity and discipline, and that the institution could easily have honoured them and the Muslim community directly. Instead, he argued, police chose to centre a controversial senior officer, turning what should have been a respectful religious message into a public insult.

The outrage shows the deep trust crisis between Kenyans and the police service. In ordinary circumstances, an Eid message from a national institution would be routine. But after repeated allegations of police brutality, unexplained deaths, arrests, cover-ups, and official defensiveness, even ceremonial posts are now being read through the lens of accountability.

For many Kenyans, the issue is not Eid-ul-Adha. The issue is judgment. A national police service under public scrutiny should understand that symbols matter. The person placed on an official poster is not just decoration; he becomes the message. In this case, the message many Kenyans received was that police leadership remains detached from public pain.

The police service has not only failed to calm public anger; it has also shown how poor communication can worsen an already sensitive matter. When citizens are demanding accountability over the death of Albert Ojwang, the institution cannot behave as if the country has moved on.

The backlash is a reminder that public institutions do not operate in a vacuum. Every poster, statement, image, and condolence message is judged against the conduct of the institution behind it. For Kenya Police, the anger over the Eid post is not just about one graphic. It is about a deeper question that remains unanswered: whether the service understands the scale of public mistrust it is facing.