The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has asked the court to detain Police Constable James Mukwana for 21 days in connection with the murder of blogger and teacher Albert Ojwang, who died while in police custody.

Appearing before the Milimani Law Court on Friday, IPOA said Mukwana should be held at the Capitol Hill Police Station to allow investigators to complete their work without interference.

IPOA told the court that Mukwana may influence fellow officers and obstruct investigations, pointing to a recent incident on June 8 involving tampering with CCTV footage.

"There is a real risk of interference. The CCTV system was already tampered with," IPOA’s Abdirahman Noor Ibrahim said.

The authority also noted that not all suspects in the murder planning have been identified or arrested and warned that releasing Mukwana could hinder the arrest of other officers involved.

They raised concern over the "blue code of silence" within the police service, suggesting it could frustrate efforts to hold those responsible to account.

However, Mukwana’s legal team, led by Danstan Omari, dismissed IPOA’s claims as speculative and unsupported.

Omari urged the court to grant bail or reasonable bond terms, saying, "If the respondent interferes, bond terms will be cancelled and the state will come to court to show he failed to comply with the court order."

He also proposed that strict conditions could be set, including barring Mukwana from accessing the Central Police Station during the investigation.