An autopsy carried out on the body of Appellate Court Judge Justice Prof. Otieno Odek revealed that he died of a clot on the vein on his right leg.
The clot choked the heart and blocked pulmonary thromboembolism causing his sudden death, according to Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor who spoke to journalists on Tuesday.
Justice Odek was found dead at his home in Kisumu’s Milimani Estate on December 16th, 2019, after he failed to return calls. His lifeless body was found in his bedroom after the door was broken down, with initial medical reports suggesting that he had bruises on his wrists.
On that day, he was expected to join his colleagues, Justices Patrick Kiage and Milton Makhandiafor a chamber hearing in Kisumu. The three were slated to give a ruling on an appeal case filed to challenge the decision of the lower court on the closure of Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries over pollution.
Odek had also been lined up as a prosecution witness against lawyer Tom Ojienda in the Mumias Sugar corruption case.
Justice Odek became a judge of the Appeals Court in 2012 and served as the Director of the Judiciary Training Institute between 2016 and 2018. He unsuccessfully applied for the position of Supreme Court judge in 2011.
Prior to joining the Judiciary, Odek served as a senior lecturer and Dean in the Faculty of Law at the University of Nairobi as well as Managing Director of the Kenya Industrial Property Institute from December 2004 to 2012.
