The High Court in Kisumu has sentenced a man to death after he admitted to murdering his seven-year-old son, wife, uncle and a neighbour in a brutal attack that shocked the country.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Shem Akuku Otieno, also known as “Daddy,” was convicted on four counts of murder after entering an unequivocal guilty plea before the High Court.
The prosecution, led by Mercy Mutheu Muema, proved that on February 24, 2024, at Wagunga Village in Muhoroni Sub-County, Kisumu County, Otieno fatally attacked his son, Joseph Ouma Akuku, with a panga before killing his 26-year-old wife, Emily Adhiambo Akuku, his 74-year-old uncle, Thomas Odula Nyameche, and a 56-year-old neighbour, Mary Kuya Otieno.
Court records further showed that Otieno also attempted to attack his sister, Monica Atieno, who escaped after he fell while chasing her. He later hid in a sugarcane plantation before surrendering to police after learning that angry residents intended to lynch him.
Although he had initially pleaded not guilty and was assigned a pro bono advocate, Otieno later asked to change his plea, telling the court: “I want to tell the court that I killed the four deceased persons. I want to plead guilty to all the four counts.” He maintained his position even after the court repeatedly warned him that murder attracts the death penalty.
In his judgment, Justice Joe M. Omido emphasized the value of human life, quoting English poet John Donne’s famous words: “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind.”
The judge found the murders to be exceptionally grave, describing them as “the systematic killing of four people at different locations, carried out through deception and an abuse of family trust.”
The court imposed the death sentence for the murder of Otieno’s son, with identical sentences on the remaining three counts held in abeyance. The convict was granted 14 days to appeal the decision.
