Police are looking for a man alleged to have killed his father in a feud over a meal of rice in Nyando.
The man is said to have hacked his father, Naftal Otieno Ade, 58, with a panga on November 17. Mr Otieno, a veterinary doctor, worked at the Kisumu County government.
Police said the father returned home from work at 7pm and picked a quarrel with his son at their home in Boya.
"We were informed that the suspect was in the house together with other siblings and the father who looked drunk rejected the meal of rice which was offered, and the two got into an altercation which degenerated into a fight," said Nyando DCIO Robinson Cherenje.
Mr Cherenje said the suspect grabbed a panga and attacked his father before fleeing. The doctor was taken to Ahero County Hospital the following morning where he was treated and discharged.
His condition however worsened and he was returned to the hospital where he died.
Police accused the family of trying to cover up the incident as it did not report the assault to any police station and was reportedly planning to bury Otieno without conducting a postmortem.
"We had to visit the home today and forcibly take statements. This is a serious issue that cannot be treated as a mere domestic misunderstanding as a life has been lost," Cherenje said.
The slain man's widow, Elizabeth Akinyi, declined to speak to The Standard about the matter.
The Standard team that visited Otieno's home was turned away by close family members.
family spokesman
"I was not around when the incident happened and I cannot say anything. You can asked the deceased's brothers to take you to the family spokesman," said Akinyi, also an employee of the Kisumu County government.
Cherenje yesterday said that he had directed the hospital not to release the body for burial until a postmortem is done to enable police get enough evidence to press charges against the suspect.
Kisumu County Agriculture Chief Officer Ben Angir said they received the news of the death with shock.
"Naftal is a hard-working man who started working as a junior officer and rose through the ranks to be where he was before he died," said Angir.
