Mr Otieno, a youth leader and a fierce critic of the government and local leaders, was hacked to death on January 18, a few metres from Elburgon Police Station.
According to Nakuru County Police Commander Michael Mwangi, the five suspects arrested by detectives from the Homicide Department of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are believed to be the prime suspects in the murder.
"We have arrested five suspects who are in custody and are set to be arraigned in court on Monday. They include two boda boda riders. They were tracked down and arrested by DCI detectives," Mr Mwangi told the Nation on Monday.
Five people linked to the killing of Molo activist Richard Otieno at the Nakuru Law Court on February 3, 2025.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
"They will be arraigned in Nakuru, where police will seek more time to conclude investigations.”
According to police, one of the suspects is believed to be among three who participated in the murder. Two other suspects had earlier assaulted the deceased on November 8, 2024.
After the murder that sparked protests, homicide detectives and those from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau(CRIB) took over the investigations.
Mr Otieno, popularly known as Molo president, was found murdered two days after he complained that he was being trailed by three unknown persons. He had also reported receiving threats from unknown individuals.
According to an autopsy conducted a week ago by Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor at the Kericho Referral Hospital mortuary, Mr Otieno succumbed to severe head injuries caused by a sharp object, likely a panga or an axe.
The autopsy was conducted in the presence of representatives from his family and the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU).
The autopsy further revealed that the body had multiple slash wounds on the back and front areas of the skull, which fractured the skull and led to excessive bleeding in the brain.
His death sparked public outrage and led to protests that rocked Elburgon town and its environs, as residents demanded answers over the murder.
At one point, the residents stormed Elburgon sub-County Hospital mortuary, where the body had been preserved, and stashed it into a plastic bag before making a procession on Elburgon-Molo road and dumping it outside Elburgon Police Station.
Due to the protests, the body was later taken to the Kericho Referral Hospital mortuary in Kericho County for preservation.
Otieno met his death just outside his gate as he returned home after watching an English Premier League football match at a club in Elburgon town.
