Kenyan American Based Man Who Died In Police Custody Vied For MCA 2017

New details have emerged about an aspiring MCA who died in the hands of a police officer shortly after being arrested in Kasarani while heading home alongside two friends.

Eric Otieno, a father of two, was arrested on September 18.

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Hours later, he was reportedly dead while in police custody, with authorities yet to clearly explain the circumstances that led to his death prompting renewed calls from his relatives for accountability and a full review of the events that unfolded after his arrest.

According to sources, Otieno had previously vied for the MCA seat in Kasarani Ward in 2017, where he lost to Hon. Antony Ngaruiya.

Those close to him say his past political bid reflected his desire to serve the community, which has made the tragedy even more painful for his family and supporters following the renewed attention on the case.

In accounts shared by his wife, Georginah, the events before the arrest began were ordinary.

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She said Eric and several friends had gone out for the evening, but as they moved to return home, police officers described as being in civilian clothes stopped them.

She claimed that two of Eric’s friends were immediately placed in handcuffs during the initial encounter, before the situation escalated further.

Georginah further alleges that the group was then loaded onto a lorry and taken into custody.

She says the family has struggled to reconcile what happened during the detention period with the timeline that followed, especially given that Eric was reported dead within hours after the arrest.

While officials have indicated that an autopsy has been conducted and has established Eric Otieno’s official cause of death, his relatives say the findings do not end the questions they have raised.