Marked: Family Claims Activist Richard Otieno Was Killed Due To Criticism Of Govt
Otieno fearfully revealed that he was followed by three individuals last Thursday and recalled an attack in November 2024 by people he believed were linked to a local politician.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
The family of Molo activist Richard Otieno, who was hacked to death by unknown assailants on Saturday, January 19, has claimed that he was targeted owing to his vocal criticism of the government and local leadership.
According to his wife, Margaret Mwihaki, Otieno fearfully revealed that he was followed by three individuals last Thursday and recalled an attack in November 2024 by people he believed were linked to a local politician. The matter, however, is still pending in court.
Mwihaki tearfully recounted the tragic events of Saturday night in her first media interview while grieving the loss of her husband, uncovering details of their final interaction.
"He had called to tell me that he wanted to come so that I open the gate for him. Immediately I went to open the gate, but when I got there, I found it open, so I just went back to the house.
"On reaching the bedroom, I heard somebody screaming, we found out it was Richard. He was lying on the floor with deep cuts on the head," she recounted. Unfortunately, Otieno succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Margaret Mwihaki, the wife of slain Molo activist Richard Otieno. /CITIZEN TV
In a dramatic turn of events on Sunday, residents forcibly transferred Otieno’s body from Elburgon Nyayo Hospital to Kericho Level 5 Hospital mortuary, where it currently remains as investigations continue. Richard Otieno’s murder has sent shockwaves through his community and raised questions about the safety of activists in the country, with many now looking to the DCI to deliver justice.
The murder drew the attention of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who on Monday, January 20, called for investigations to be hastened to ensure the perpetrators behind the heinous attacks are arrested and convicted.
The former deputy president faulted the government over its silence on the matter urging swift action. "The Government of Kenya cannot afford to sit on the fence on this matter," he warned.
He mourned the death of the activist calling for tolerance in the country stating that the murder of Otieno epitomizes the decision by the ruling administration to quell opposition in the country. "As we mourn the death of this promising young man, who was a great human rights defender and champion, we call for justice. His killers must be brought to book come what may," Gachagua asserted.
"The gruesome and brutal murder of Richard Otieno of Molo over the weekend is a clear testimony of another strategy of infusing fear among Kenyans in a pathetic and archaic strategy to silence government critics after failed abductions. How can a great Nation like Kenya slip into the trenches of a failed State where children and women have no breathing space?"
A collage of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachugua and slain Molo activist Richard Otieno.
