Shem Akuku Otieno has been Sentenced to Death for Killing Wife, Son and Two Relatives

By Sonia

Kisumu High Court has sentenced 30-year-old Shem Akuku Otieno, alias Daddy, to death after he pleaded guilty to four counts of murder arising from a gruesome attack that claimed the lives of his wife, young son and two relatives in Muhoroni, Kisumu County. 

Justice Joe Omido handed down the sentence after finding Akuku guilty of the murders, which shocked residents of Milenya Village in February 2024. The court heard that the accused hacked to death his five-months-pregnant wife, his seven-year-old son, his elderly uncle and another relative/neighbour before fleeing the scene. He later surrendered to police and confessed to the killings. 

According to court records, the brutal attack occurred on February 24, 2024, in Muhoroni Sub-County. Investigations revealed that the victims suffered fatal injuries inflicted using a sharp weapon. The incident left an entire family devastated and sent shockwaves across the country due to the sheer brutality of the murders. 

During the proceedings, Akuku admitted responsibility for all four deaths, leading the court to enter convictions on the basis of his guilty plea. The prosecution argued that the murders were deliberate and premeditated, noting that the accused targeted close family members, including a child and a pregnant woman. 

In delivering the sentence, Justice Omido stated that although Kenya's Supreme Court declared the mandatory death sentence unconstitutional, courts still retain the discretion to impose the death penalty in the most serious cases. The judge ruled that the circumstances surrounding the killings were exceptionally grave and warranted the ultimate punishment. 

The court subsequently sentenced Akuku to death on all four counts of murder, bringing to a close a case that has remained one of the most disturbing family homicide incidents reported in Kisumu in recent years. 

The sentencing has reignited public debate on the death penalty in Kenya, with many Kenyans expressing sympathy for the victims' family while others continue to discuss the place of capital punishment within the country's justice system.