Autopsy Shows Richard Otieno Died From Severe Head Injuries Inflicted by Sharp Object

Government pathologist Johansen Oduor has confirmed Richard Otieno, alias ‘Molo President,’ died from severe head injuries inflicted by a sharp object. 

“The late Richard had several severe injuries. There were multiple slash wounds on the back of the head, which led to the fracture of the skull and extensive bleeding of the brain. There were also some slash wounds on the frontal area of the skull as well as bruising on the face,” Odour stated after an autopsy on Friday.

“From these findings, we can conclude that the late Richard died as a result of a severe head injury that was caused by a sharp object. This could either be a panga or an axe, which was used severally on the head,” he asserted.

The activist was brutally murdered by unknown assailants while heading home from a bar on Saturday, January 18. The attack reportedly happened outside his home, which is just 200 meters from Elburgon police station.

Otieno had reportedly lived in fear over his life after two previous murder attempts left him with injuries. Before the tragic incident, Otieno had already recorded statements about receiving threats due to his activism. 

According to his wife, the slain activist was a marked man following his criticism of local leadership and President William Ruto’s administration. 

Speaking to journalists on 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 2024 by people she claimed were accomplices of a local politician.

While unraveling details of her husband’s death, Otieno’s wife revealed that on the fateful day, she heard a loud cry emanating from the gate, and 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.

Addressing the press, Otieno’s family lawyer, Rosalinda 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.

His murder caused much public uproar, with irate area residents taking to the streets and blocking the Njoro-Molo road with boulders and lighting bonfires. The angry residents stormed the mortuary where the deceased’s body was being held and paraded it on the streets in a show of anger and rage. 

Currently, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations is conducting investigations into the activist’s death. The detectives are planning to question two local politicians and several witnesses as they try to unravel the circumstances surrounding the murder.