On Sunday, November 24, 2024, Jairus Omuteche, a senior lecturer at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST), left his house in Ebukhubi village, Ebulonga location in Vihiga County in the morning hours to visit his farm located near River Jordan.
His mission was to source raw materials for the construction of a cowshed in his compound.
Dr Omuteche, however, did not return home on that day prompting his wife, Jacqueline Omuteche, to file a missing person report at Irumbi Police Station.
A search team, comprising close family members, relatives and neighbours was quickly formed and it began its work immediately.
Mr Evans Ouya, a family spokesperson and the chief of Ebulonga location, led the search efforts.
He narrated to Nation.Africa how they scoured the village for clues for the better part of Monday and in the process stumbled upon some sticks that had seemed to have been cut from Dr Omuteche's.
“There were some sticks floating on the river too. This discovery gave us a good starting point in our search. We began to suspect that maybe our brother had drowned and so we intensified our search along the river bank and in the water," explained Mr Ouya.
It wasn't until Tuesday that Mr Ouya and his team spotted the body of the 48-year-old university don floating on River Jordan, 15 kilometres away from his farm, ending the three-day search.
While the cause of the death of Dr Omuteche is still shrouded in mystery, his family and friends want a thorough probe conducted by investigators to establish whether the academician drowned by accident or was murdered and his body thrown into the river.
Dr Omuteche was the chairperson of the Department of Language and Literature Education (LLE) at the university with experience in teaching and research spanning over 15 years.
He held a Bachelor of Education (Arts) degree and a Masters in Literature from the University of Nairobi and a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Sunderland.
His research interest and areas of teaching were in Postcolonial theory and Literatures, Literature of the Black Diaspora, Migration and Globalisation, African Oral Literature and Folklore and Indigenous Knowledge.
Dr Omuteche’s current research focuses on Postcolonial Literature, Literature, Language and Communication, Indigenous knowledge and folklore of Abanyole of Vihiga County, and the development of language learning and teaching resource materials for Olunyole (the language of Bunyore).
He had developed and illustrated a digitised dictionary of the traditional ecological knowledge and the folklore of Olunyole.
He is widely known for his introduction in the book 'A Doll’s House' by Henrik Ibsen which was an examinable textbook in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams for many years.
Western Regional Commissioner Irungu Macharia noted that security authorities had joined the lecturer's family in the search after he disappeared.
"Through the joint efforts of government officers, his family and colleagues, his body was discovered at the intersection where River Jordan joins River Yala in Vihiga Count," confirmed Mr Macharia.
Mr Vincent Ondari, a neighbour, said the point where the lecturer's body was discovered is usually used by churches to conduct baptismal services.
"We are yet to come to terms with the unfathomable death of Omuteche. He was ambitious and generous. He is among the few Abanyole university dons who have been helping to reshape our community," said Mr Ondari.
According to Ondari, Dr Omuteche was involved in academic mentorship and career counselling for children in his local villages.
Ondari said the deceased had initiated a programme of sponsoring the education of children from poor families and assisting those who qualify in their education to get jobs.
“He engaged youth from his area in various development projects that could earn them a living,” he said.
“We are committed to uncovering the cause of his death because his family, colleagues, and the entire community deserve answers and justice. Detectives from Luanda police station have taken up the matter and we will ensure that the investigation is thorough and comprehensive," he said.
The administrator further said detectives are working closely with local authorities and appealed to his family and the local community to collaborate in the investigations to ensure that the truth about his death comes out.
He called on anyone with information that may shed light on the circumstances surrounding his death to share with the investigating team.
Mr Macharia warned against speculating about the circumstances surrounding his death saying this would jeopardize investigations.
