This archive report was first published on 28 December 2019.
On December 28, 2019, the family, friends, and some council members of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) gathered to mourn the death of former Vice-Chancellor Fredrick Otieno.
They alleged foul play in his death, accusing senior officials at the institution of conspiring to eliminate him for standing in their way to swindle funds.
Prof Otieno's elder brother, Harold Otieno, alleged that the professor was always worried about his life after his five-year term in office ended. He claimed that well-known cartels kept threatening him.
Despite owning a fleet of vehicles, Prof Otieno used public service vehicles and boda boda to run errands, his brother said.
He also called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigation to probe one of MMUST staff who allegedly took Prof Otieno to a local hospital after he fell unconscious in his Kisumu home before he was transferred to Eldoret.
Prof Otieno's widow, Dr Florence Otieno, eulogised her husband as a man who put a smile on people's faces. However, she noted that the last five years had been tormenting to the family as he fought a myriad of graft allegations against him.
Until his death, Prof Otieno was the chairman of Kakamega County Urban Water and Sanitation Corporation. He has left behind three children.
