How a Night of Celebration Ended in Horror for Kisumu Graduate

Two people were killed in separate incidents in Kisumu County between 27 and 30 September, prompting police investigations and appeals from affected families for swift justice.

The first attack occurred on the night of 27 September in Otonglo, where Emily Akoth, a recent graduate of Rotary College, was fatally assaulted during a party. According to witnesses, the suspect, identified as Victor Otieno, Akoth’s estranged boyfriend, arrived at the gathering armed with a panga. 

He allegedly caused panic before targeting Akoth in a violent attack, then fled the scene. The weapon was later recovered from his rented residence in Kisumu West, but Otieno remains at large.

Akoth had left her family home in Riat earlier that evening to attend the celebration. Her father, Erick Soth, was informed of her death through phone calls from individuals claiming to be police officers. 

The family later confirmed that her body had been taken to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) mortuary. Her burial has been scheduled for 17 October. The family has called for the suspect’s arrest before the funeral can take place.

“She was a bright young woman with so much ahead of her,” her mother said, describing Akoth as intelligent, disciplined, and full of potential.

A second incident occurred three days later on 30 September in Korando, approximately one kilometre from the site of the first attack. Silas Onyango, 30, was ambushed while travelling home with his wife, Phoebe Akinyi. 

According to police, two men on a motorcycle intercepted the couple’s vehicle around 8pm, forced Onyango out, and stabbed him multiple times. He died at the scene. Akinyi was not harmed.

Onyango’s body was also taken to JOOTRH for a postmortem examination, marking the second fatal incident in the same area within a short period. Local residents and leaders have since raised concerns about security in the region, urging authorities to strengthen police presence and accelerate investigations.