For Edward Ofuong’o, the memory of his son is not just of a life lost, but of a future violently cut short. Fidel Dennis, his fifth-born child, was on the brink of achieving a dream that had taken years of discipline, sacrifice, and promise to build.
Fidel was described by his family as disciplined, hardworking, visionary and focused, traits that defined both his academic journey and his outlook on life.
He began his education at Nyamburi Primary School before proceeding to Chulaimbo Boys High School, where he excelled and scored an A- (76 points).
That performance earned him admission to Kenyatta University, where he pursued aerospace engineering, a demanding five-year course he was close to completing.
He had already finished his internship and practicum and was expected to graduate later in the year, marking the culmination of years of effort and ambition.
However, on January 11, 2025, what should have been an ordinary weekend turned into the beginning of a tragedy.
Fidel had planned to travel back to university that Saturday, but postponed the journey to the following day. That evening, his father returned home around 5:30 pm and found him in the company of two individuals: a bodaboda rider identified as Kevin Otieno and a friend, Eric Nambani, who worked as a gardener in a neighbouring home.
He said he requested Fidel to alight from the bodaboda, as they were heading somewhere, and they had a brief chat.
“He told me they were heading to Kombewa Market. We agreed he would not stay long since I wanted us to have a brief family meeting before he returned to school the next day. He agreed. We waited, hoping he would return, but he never came back,” he recalled.
By 9:30 pm, with growing concern, his father sent Sh25, 000 to his phone as upkeep money, hoping to reassure him that there were no restrictions on his travel plans.
The following morning, Sunday, Ofuong’o woke early and briefly heard what sounded like a motorbike leaving the compound. He assumed Fidel had finally left for school.
But by evening, concern began to deepen.
Repeated attempts to reach Fidel by phone were unsuccessful. Upon returning home, the family discovered that his laptop and bag were still in his room, untouched, signalling he had never left for school.
Alarmed, Ofuong’o began tracing the last people seen with his son. Calls to Otieno went unanswered, but Nambani provided crucial details.
According to Nambani, they were together when Otieno received a call from his brother, George Odhiambo, who asked whom he was with.
Instructions were reportedly given for Nambani to be dropped off so that Otieno and Odhiambo could proceed with Fidel. Nambani was dropped off, leaving Fidel with the others.
The group first went to Rooftop, a local pub in Holo, before later moving to another entertainment joint, Black Pearl in Nyamasaria, on the suggestion of Nelson Odoyo, who later joined the group.
When Ofuong’o later spoke to Odhiambo, he was informed that Fidel had left the pub on his own and that his whereabouts were unknown.
As hours passed without any sign of Fidel, a missing person’s report was filed at Kombewa Police Station on Monday.
Later that night, at around 11 pm, Mr Ofuong’o said Odhiambo called, informing him that they were at the gate and had something to share with him.
They claimed that, following his instructions, they had gone looking for him at various police stations in Kisumu but did not find him booked anywhere. They also said they checked hospitals and mortuaries without success.
Before leaving, they handed over Fidel’s phone and wristwatch, claiming the items had been given to them by Fidel before purportedly leaving that Saturday night.
The family found the explanation unusual and directed them to take the items to the police, given that a formal report had already been made.
The following day, January 14, the situation took a devastating turn.
At around 4:30 pm, Ofuong’o received a call from an officer at Kasagam Police Station inquiring whether he had filed a missing person’s report.
The officer informed him that a body had been retrieved from River Nyamasaria, and the description matched. The body had a student ID card, a bank card and a National ID.
Police officers at Kasagam Police Station classified the case as murder and referred it to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
Statements were recorded from the family and individuals linked to Fidel’s last known movements. Investigators also visited key locations, including Black Pearl and the river where the body was recovered.
According to Mr Ofuong’o, the footage showed the group arriving at 11:56 pm. A black Prado (registration KDP 768G) drove into the parking lot carrying about six people.
He said the vehicle was driven by Nelson Odoyo, and the occupants included Odhiambo, Otieno, Odoyo’s wife, Mark and Fidel, who was the last to alight.
At 12:49 am, exactly an hour after they arrived, Otieno is seen walking out of the club with Fidel. Shortly after, Odoyo joins them outside. Their movements suggest they are trying to manage Fidel, who appears visibly intoxicated and increasingly unsteady.
At 12:56 am, Fidel steps out of the car and begins walking back toward the entrance, only to be restrained from re-entering. Moments later, he appears disoriented, approaches the wrong vehicle and attempts to open it.
At 1:09 am, Odoyo is seen leading Fidel back into the club, briefly restoring a sense of control. However, within six minutes, Otieno emerges again with Fidel, followed by Odhiambo and Odoyo.
Fidel, now clearly intoxicated and struggling to maintain balance, is met with aggression. Odhiambo is seen striking him forcefully and repeatedly as the group moves through the parking area. In sections where the camera view is obstructed, there are indications that the assault continues beyond what is clearly visible.
Despite this, Fidel continues to move, at times staggering across the parking lot, appearing disoriented yet persistent. At one point, a guard is seen pushing him to the ground. Shortly after, a chef joins in, striking him several times before another individual appears in a darker section of the lot, further compounding the violence.
By 1:50 am, Fidel is directed toward the gate and made to leave the premises alone, without any visible assistance.
Nearly an hour later, at around 2:38 am, members of the same group are seen outside again, seemingly searching for him. When they do not find him, they return to the club, and by 3:10 am, the vehicle that brought them leaves without Fidel.
From that moment on, he is not seen alive again. His body would later be found in the river.
A pathologist initially involved disclosed that she was representing both Fidel’s family and another party linked to individuals present that night, raising concerns about impartiality.
A post-mortem conducted by Dr Vincent Otieno, alongside Kisumu-based pathologist Dr Lucy Ombok, revealed that Fidel died due to asphyxia.
Asphyxia is a life-threatening condition caused by severe oxygen deprivation, resulting in unconsciousness or death. It can occur due to airway obstruction, strangulation, drowning, or exposure to toxic fumes.
Dr Otieno noted that there was no water in the body, casting doubt on the possibility of drowning despite the body being found in the river. One of his lungs had collapsed.
“When we conducted the autopsy, we found no water in the system, indicating he did not die from drowning. There were bruises all over the body. He died due to traumatic asphyxia,” he said.
In the days that followed Fidel’s death, grief within the family and the surrounding community began to spill over into tension and accusations, culminating in yet another tragedy.
A house linked to individuals connected to the case was set on fire, an incident that led to the arrest of seven people. Among them was Fidel’s 22-year-old sister, Valentine, who at the time was caring for a four-month-old baby. She soon found herself behind bars at Kodiaga Prison as investigators pursued the allegations.
Yet even as these arrests were made, questions lingered about the integrity of the process. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations did not visit the alleged scene of the arson to independently verify what had happened, leaving the case to rest largely on uncorroborated claims.
As weeks turned into months, the prosecution struggled to sustain the charges against Tobias Otieno Oluoch, Michael Otieno Oyoko alias Bobi Oyoko, Edwin Ochieng Nyariro, Michael Ochieng Osodo, Joseph Okech Odari, Nashon Otieno Ofuongo, and Valentine Atieno Ofuongo.
But not before Valentine had endured the emotional and physical toll of incarceration, her infant becoming one of the youngest to live within prison walls, caught in the widening fallout of a case that, at its core, was still searching for answers.
One year later, Mr Ofuong’o says he continues to pursue justice for his son, pushing for a thorough and transparent investigation.
Although there are ten CCTV cameras at different points within Black Pearl that should have captured Fidel’s movements, the family claims the Directorate of Criminal Investigations has only provided footage from one camera.
Black Pearl management insists it cooperated fully with investigators, surrendered all available footage, and that all relevant staff recorded statements.
An officer privy to the investigation said the file had been submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which recommended an inquest into Fidel’s death—a legal process intended to establish the facts surrounding his death and determine whether any individual bears criminal responsibility.
But for the family, that step has done little to restore confidence.
Efforts to reach Odhiambo and Odoyo for comment on the events of that night were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
