My son was peaceful in life, says father of man killed by police

Richard Odongo stacked four packets of flour wrapped together inside a basin and pushed them close to the wall.

He was hungry but the sight of the flour exasperated him, so he picked another basin and covered the stack.

“I was seated on this chair, waiting for my son to come pick the package, not aware that my son had already been killed,” he said, pointing at the wooden three-seater chair that leaned on the iron sheet wall.

Odongo lives in a small single-room made of iron sheets in Mradi, Embakasi, about five kilometres from where his son was shot dead.

Samson Otieno, 32, was shot dead by police during a protest over demolitions at Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums on December 27.

His family said Otieno, whom they fondly referred to as Mbok, was on his way to pick the package from his father when he was caught up in a commotion between the Mukuru residents and the police.

An autopsy conducted on the body three days later indicated that he was shot once on the chest at close range and died due to excessive bleeding.

“His house had not been demolished and knowing my son, he hated confrontations so much he would never have been in any protest. Even still, are protestors criminals?” the father asked.

Odongo told the Star his son had planned to travel to their rural home the same day he was shot. He wanted to visit his stepmother and siblings during the festivities.

“We spoke on phone at around 11am and I asked him to come to my house, which is a few kilometres away to pick the flour package and take to his mother,” he recounted.

“He agreed, so I hurriedly left the construction site where I had gotten a casual job and went home,” he added.

On arrival, Odongo decided to take a nap on a chair before preparing a meal to share with his son when he came.

After about an hour, Odongo woke up to respond to a call of nature when he received a phone call that would not only turn around his plans but also his life.

“The caller, who introduced himself as a cop, used my son’s phone and asked how I was related to the owner of the phone," he said.

"He then asked me to rush to Caanan Hospital where my son was after he was shot. I was totally confused.” 

Odongo said, while on the way, he received another call urging him to rush as his son’s condition was critical.

“In less than 30 minutes, I was there only to find the lifeless body of my son, clothes still soaked in blood,” he said tearfully.

The father said he was informed that his first born son had been shot dead by police in Mukuru Kwa Njenga during a civil unrest.

On the fateful day, Otieno had left his house in the morning to go to Syokimau where he worked as a mason.

He left work early because he had planned to travel at night to their rural home in Achage, Alego, Siaya county.

“He has left behind three young children aged between seven and three. Who will take care of them when we all relied on him?” he wondered loudly.

Odongo said since he lost his job in April 2020, Otieno had stepped up to be the sole breadwinner.

“He has been paying my rent here in this single-room house and, once in a while, feeding me besides taking care of his family,” he said.

Going to his house worsens his pain as his wife and children are deeply affected by the loss of their father.

“Whenever I visit, the two younger ones hold onto my trouser and insist on accompanying me back to my house to confirm that their father is not there,” he said tearfully.

“This always makes their mother grieve even more and though I ought to be there for them more, my presence seem to make things worse,” he added.

Odongo said even though they were hoping to bury their kin sooner, the closest that could happen is January 14, as they still don’t have any funds to transport the body to the village and pay other bills.

"My son was a quiet peaceful boy, he deserves a peaceful rest. I plead with the government to help me give proper send off to my son after they casually took his life," he said.

“Tentatively, the burial date is set for January 14, but that will depend on the funds we manage to raise,” he continued.

Otieno’s pastor James Kimathi regretted the killing of the man, blaming the government for inhumanely treating its citizenry.

“Otieno was a very religious man. He was always calm and spoke softly. It is unfortunate that the lives of lowest people in the society are treated with no regard,” Kimathi said.

He also criticised the manner in which Odongo was informed of his son’s death, saying that it would traumatise him for a long time.

“It is so unethical to break such news to a close relative the way the police did on phone," the cleric said.

"The government is large and the police claim to be a service, in such cases, why can’t a representative be sent to condole with the family?”

Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai and Nairobi Metropolitan Services director general Mohamed Badi last week Tuesday visited parts of Mukuru slums to quell a standoff over the eviction of residents. 

The visit came a day after one man was shot dead and another one injured in the confrontation. Another, Evans Mutisya, 18, was shot in the stomach, and is in hospital.

This prompted President Uhuru Kenyatta to make a night visit to the site on December 27 where he met and talked to some residents.

“The President was informed some senior government officials had been allocated the land in question and were using police and the road construction issue to evict the residents. He was upset,” an official said.

Two Nairobi Police bosses have been suspended over shootings at Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums.

Nairobi Region police commander Augustine Nthumbi and Embakasi Police Station OCPD were sent on compulsory leave starting Thursday, January 30.

Demolitions in Mukuru started on October 12, 2021, where residents living along road reserves on Catherine Ndereba Road were asked to vacate.

Government started demolitions to pave way for construction of the Nairobi Expressway.

(edited by Amol Awuor)