Richard Otieno’s Wife Speaks on Activist’s Last Moments

The wife of slain activist Richard Otieno has alleged that the deceased was a marked man following his criticism of President William Ruto’s administration.

Speaking to journalists on Monday, January 20, Otieno’s wife disclosed that her late husband had complained that three unknown people were trailing him.

According to her, Otieno’s woes began in June last year during the anti-government protests where he was arrested for allegedly being part of the people who razed the home of Molo Member of Parliament Kuria Kimani.

The deceased’s wife further revealed that the husband was also attacked in November last year by people she claimed were accomplices of a local politician.

While unravelling details of her husband’s death, Otieno’s wife revealed that on the fateful day, she heard a loud cry emanating from the gate, upon rushing to the scene, she found her husband brutally injured with deep cuts on the head.

“On that fateful day, he called me and told me that he was coming home, so I went to open the gate but I found the gate had already been opened so I went back to the house. A few minutes later I heard someone screaming,” Otieno’s wife stated.

“When I rushed out I found him lying on the floor and he had deep cuts on the head. He had initially told me that there were some people he saw on his way who he claimed were trailing him,” she added.

Addressing the press, Otieno’s family Lawyer Roselinda Wamaitha reiterated that the deceased had been receiving threats from people who were well-known by members of the public.

According to Wamaitha, there was evidence of screenshots depicting threatening messages Otieno received before his death on Sunday, January 19.

“My late client has been receiving threats and some of them were even screenshot [sic] and they are out in the public with the specific names of people who threatened him,” noted Wamaitha.

Meanwhile, Otieno’s family has accused the police of delaying investigations into the death of the activist despite protests by the area residents who demand justice.

Following the protests, homicide detectives drawn from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were on Monday dispatched to Molo to probe his death.