The High Court in Kisumu has sentenced Shem Akuku Otieno, also known as “Daddy”, to death after he pleaded guilty to murdering his wife, seven-year-old son and two relatives in a brutal attack in Muhoroni Sub-county, Kisumu County.
Justice Joe Omido imposed the death sentence after finding that the killings, committed on February 24, 2024, involved exceptional aggravating circumstances.
The victims were identified as Otieno’s wife, Emily Adhiambo Akuku, his seven-year-old son, Joseph Ouma Akuku, his uncle, Thomas Odula Nyameche, and Mary Kuya Otieno.
According to Court records, although Otieno initially denied the charges, he later admitted responsibility for all four murders, telling the court that he wanted to plead guilty.
A psychiatric assessment found him fit to stand trial before the court accepted his plea and convicted him.
In sentencing, Justice Omido acknowledged that the accused was a first offender and that his guilty plea spared the victims’ families the pain of a lengthy trial.
However, the judge held that those factors were outweighed by the extreme gravity of the offences, noting that Otieno had abused family trust by killing his own child, wife and close relatives before attempting to conceal the crime.
The court sentenced Otieno to death on all four counts of murder, with the sentence on the first count taking effect while the remaining three death sentences remain in abeyance in accordance with established court practice.
Interestingly, Otieno refused all legal representation and was not represented in court by a lawyer.
