Judge Odek served as the Director of the Judiciary Training Institute from 2016 to 2018, having become a Judge of the Court of Appeal in 2012/FILE – Judiciary
KISUMU, Kenya Dec 24 – A post-mortem has revealed that Appellate Court Judge James Otieno Odek died as a result of a clot on the vein of the right leg.
Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor said the clot dislodged and blocked the pulmonary thromboembolism causing sudden death.
“The clot chocked the heart,” Dr Oduor told journalists at the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu where after the autopsy, “The cause of death is pulmonary thromboembolism.”
He conducted the exercise alongside pathologist Dr Dickson Mchana in the presence of the family representatives and DCI officers.
“The main cause of the clot is injuries to the legs,” he said, “But for Justice Odek, I think blood became static because of prolonged sitting. Being a Judge, his work involves a lot of sitting. It is a risk factor.”
A senior DCI detective said, “We have forwarded all the evidence and exhibit we gathered at the house to the Government Chemists in Nairobi,”
The officer said they are also analysing Odek’s phone calls as part of their investigations.
Judge Odek’s elder brother Yonah Odek said “We will discuss it (autopsy report) as a family after receiving it officially.”
Yonah said burial preparation were underway ahead of the Friday ceremony in Asembo, Siaya County.
His body will be viewed at the Kisumu Law courts on Thursday followed by a requiem mass at St Paul’s Memba Church in Asembo.
“Preparations are on for the event to allow the Judiciary staff to pay their last respect to their departed colleague,” Kisumu Chief Magistrate Julius Ng’arng’ar said.
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