The family of slain Molo-based activist Richard Raymond Otieno has opened up on his last moments before he was murdered. When was Richard Raymond Otieno attacked? Raymond, a vocal human rights activist, died after being attacked outside his home on Saturday, January 18, by unknown people. Speaking to Citizen TV, Margaret Mwihaki, now grieving the loss of her husband, recounted the tragic events of Saturday night, when the vocal activist was killed. Speaking through tears, Mwihaki recounted how her husband called requesting the gate be opened as he was on his way home after watching a football match. However, when Mwihaki reached the gate, it was already opened, so she resorted to returning to the house to wait for her loving husband. A few minutes after reaching her bedroom, she heard screams from outside; when Mwihaki and her neighbours stepped out, they found Raymond lying in a pool of blood.
“He called me and said, ‘Mom, I want to come and open the gate for me.’ Immediately I came to open the gate. When I arrived, I found it open, so I just went back to the house. When I got to the bedroom, I heard somebody screaming, and we found it was Richard. He was lying on the floor and had deep cuts on his head,” Mwaniki recounted. Unfortunately, the outspoken human rights activist succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital. Did people trail activist Richard Otieno? The widow further revealed that Raymond had expressed fears of being followed by three individuals on Thursday, January 16 and recalled an attack last November by people he believed were linked to a local politician. “On Thursday, he came home and told me, ‘On my way home, I saw some people almost at the gate, three of them behind me, and they seemed suspicious.’ He said, ‘From now on, it’s not good,'” Mwihaki recounted.
How Gachagua linked government to Richard Raymond Otieno’s murder Meanwhile, former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua condemned the gruesome murder of the Molo-based political and human rights activist In a statement on Monday, January 20, Gachagua indirectly linked the Kenya Kwanza government to Raymond’s death. According to Gachagua, the murder of the vocal Molo activist was meant to instil fear among critics of President William Ruto’s administration. The former deputy president sent his heartfelt condolence message to the family, terming the death of Raymond as a great loss to the fight for human rights. He called on the government to ensure those who killed the human rights defender are arrested and judged in court.
by Amos Khaemba
