"I have today opted to step aside from the office of the Deputy Inspector General pending completion of investigations," Lagat said in a statement.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the capital Nairobi last week over the death of Albert Ojwang, a 31-year-old schoolteacher and blogger who had reportedly criticised the police.

Two senior police officers and a closed-circuit television (CCTV) technician, who had been called to dismantle the CCTV at the police station, have been arrested in connection with the investigation.

--Reuters--