Help us bury son killed in Kisumu violence – family

When 31-year-old Dickson Oduor Oduogo left his family’s home on Sunday morning after receiving a phone call, his mother did not expect it would be the last time she would see him alive.

Hours later, the family learnt that Oduogo had been killed during violence reported in Kisumu.

Two people died in the violence, nine motorcycles were torched, and eight suspects have been arrested, according to police.

Inside Oduogo’s modest home, grief has engulfed his elderly and ailing parents, who described him as a pillar of their family.

His mother, Mary Auma, broke down as she recalled how her son supported her during her illness.

"My son was everything to me. I am sick with high blood pressure and he was the one who took me to hospital using his motorcycle. He bought me food and knew everything I needed, even the kind of tea I drank," she said through tears.

Auma said Oduogo had been asleep on Sunday morning after working through the night when his phone rang.

"He woke up and washed his face. He told me he had received a call that there was work. Before I could even speak to him, he rushed into the house, changed clothes and rode away on his motorcycle."

Hours later, Auma said she was informed that her son had been killed in town.

She said she had repeatedly urged him to avoid political activities.

"I always told him, 'Leave politics alone. This work is dangerous. It kills people.' We argued about it almost every day. But on Sunday, one phone call took him away forever."

Auma said the death had left her devastated, adding that she had previously lost another son in a lake accident involving a crocodile.

"I have already lost another son. Now politics has finished me. I don't know how I will survive. I have remained with only my daughters."

Oduogo’s father, Joseph Asembo, said the family’s ordinary Sunday turned into a tragedy.

He said he met his son at the gate that morning as he prepared to leave for church.

"He told me he was very tired because he had worked throughout the night. He removed Sh50 from his pocket and gave it to me. He told me to use the money to take a boda boda home if I grew tired, but if I felt I could walk, then I should give it in church as offering."

"I thanked him and left for church. Everything was normal."

Asembo said that when he returned home later that evening, he found his wife crying.

"I asked her several times what had happened. She told me Dickson had received a call from friends who said there was some work. He hurriedly left with his motorcycle."

He said one of Oduogo’s friends later arrived with the news that his son had been killed and his body taken to Nightingale Mortuary.

Asembo said the family did not immediately inform his sick wife because of her condition.

He travelled to the mortuary that evening, hoping the report was false.

"They finally allowed me to see him. When they uncovered the body, I saw my son lying on the mortuary table."

Asembo said the death had left the family devastated.

"I screamed. That was our son who loved everyone in this family."

He said he was shocked after learning the costs involved in keeping his son’s body at the private mortuary.

"They told me I had to pay Sh8,000 for storage and Sh2,500 every time we wanted to view the body. I was speechless. Where can I get that money when the person who provided for us is lying dead?"

He appealed to the government to help transfer the body to a public mortuary and assist the family with burial expenses.

"I am asking the government to help me bury my son. I cannot manage these expenses alone."

As the family mourns, human rights defenders have condemned the violence and called for accountability.

Human rights defender Berty Okero urged leaders to stop politicising the attacks, saying organised gangs were terrorising residents while security agencies appeared unable or unwilling to act.

"We should not get caught up in political games of 'your people' versus 'my people.' Two wrongs do not make a right," she said.

"The reality is that we are dealing with organised gangs that are heavily financed and well coordinated. At the same time, the police appear helpless. The only conclusion is that those behind these gangs are influential enough to ensure the law is not enforced."

Okero said citizens deserved peace and the freedom to exercise their democratic rights without fear.

"We want peace. We want people to associate freely and enjoy their constitutional rights. Ordinary citizens should not suffer because of political intolerance."

Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga warned that continued violence could undermine Kenya’s democratic gains if those responsible are not brought to justice.

"We fought very hard for the democratic space we enjoy today. If we are not careful, we could slowly slide back into a one-party state," she said.

She urged security agencies to identify those financing criminal gangs.

"If it is me, Ruth Odinga, or anyone else sponsoring gangs in Kisumu, then call us out. Those responsible must be held accountable."

Police have confirmed that two people died during Sunday’s violence, nine motorcycles were torched and eight suspects have been arrested as investigations continue.

The family is appealing to the government, well-wishers and leaders to help meet funeral expenses as police continue investigations into the violence.

For Oduogo’s parents, the loss of their son remains a painful reality after what they described as a routine morning that ended in tragedy.