This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
On December 16, 2019, the body of Court of Appeal Judge Prof Otieno Odek was found in his apartment in Kisumu, a mere kilometre from the Kisumu Law Courts.
Prof Odek, a 56-year-old professor, was a prolific intellectual and a gifted legal mind who had a dozen high-profile cases pending in the Court of Appeal.
He was expected to arrive at the court by 6am, but his colleagues, Justices Asikhe Makhandia and Patrick Kiage, waited for him until 9am, when news of his death reached the court.
President Uhuru Kenyatta mourned the Court of Appeal judge, describing him as a "prolific intellectual and a gifted legal mind" who "served with commitment and dedication in the dispensation of justice without fear or favour".
Chief Justice David Maraga led the Judiciary and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) in mourning Prof Odek, who hailed from Rarieda in Siaya County.
A preliminary autopsy was conducted, but the cause of death had not been established by the time of going to press.
Prof Odek's driver had gone to pick him up, but his phone was off, prompting the driver to go to his house, where he was found lying in his bed facing the ceiling.
His colleagues and family waited to know the results of a postmortem, which was conducted in the presence of pathologists, detectives, and senior judicial officers in Kisumu.
Senior Resident Magistrate Beryl Omollo said a prayer before the body was loaded into an ambulance and driven to Aga Khan Hospital mortuary in a large convoy.
Justice Kiage noted that the loss was huge, and they were yet to come to terms with it, requesting that the family address the media at the mortuary later.
Justice Odek's wife, Anne, was in Nairobi when the news was broken, and his brother Isaac Omondi confirmed having received the news but said he was not in a position to reach Kisumu in time.
Members of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) hailed Prof Odek for his exemplary service to the nation, describing him as a hardworking scholar who dedicated his life to serving Kenyans diligently.
