Molo — A candle-lit vigil was held in Elburgon on Sunday night ahead of a memorial mass for slain Molo community mobiliser Richard Raymond Otieno, popularly known as "Molo President", with youth leaders and residents renewing calls for justice a year after his killing.
Holding candles and placards, the mourners described Otieno as a fearless voice for ordinary people and condemned what they termed a dangerous culture of intimidation.
"This was not just the killing of one man; it was an attempt to silence an entire community," one youth leader said during the vigil. "We are demanding justice--not theatrics, not delays, not cover-ups."
Another youth representative said residents were living with fear and uncertainty, insisting accountability must go beyond those already in court. "If suspects are facing charges, then let the investigations go further and expose the planners, financiers and all who enabled this crime," he said. "No one should be killed for speaking truth to power."
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Several residents echoed the call, saying the community would not "move on" until the full truth is known.
"Richard was everyone's friend. He spoke for people who had no platform," said one resident. "If we accept this, then tomorrow it will be another young person, another critic, another neighbour."
Another mourner urged authorities to secure witnesses and the victim's family. "We are asking the state to protect the widow and prosecution witnesses," the resident said. "Justice cannot be defeated through threats."
The memorial mass will be held on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at St. Peters Catholic Church in Elburgon from 10.00am, where Otieno was a dedicated member.
Lawyer and Molo parliamentary aspirant Dann Mwangi said Otieno was not a criminal and did not deserve to die for his activism, arguing that while suspects arraigned in court face murder charges, the alleged mastermind and key facilitators remain at large.
"He was not a criminal, neither did he deserve to be murdered for speaking truth to power," Mwangi said, alleging that some individuals have continued to threaten Otieno's wife and prosecution witnesses.
Otieno, a fierce government critic and social justice advocate, was killed in January 2025, two days after he complained that he was receiving threats and being trailed by unknown people. He was later found hacked to death near his home, a few metres from Elburgon Police Station.
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Organisers said the memorial service will honour Otieno's life while reinforcing the constituency's demand for accountability and an end to violence against citizens who speak out.
