Alego Usonga, Siaya County — A quiet Sunday morning in Kadenge sub-location erupted into shock and grief after villagers discovered the lifeless body of a 35-year-old man hanging from a mango tree, following a bitter dispute over dowry cattle.
Nicholas Otieno, popularly known as Abanko, was found dead in Udura village at around 3:00 a.m. after walking out of his home in anger the previous night. The dispute that preceded his death has now exposed a deeper family rift and ignited community debate over dowry customs, mental health, and domestic conflict.
According to Kadenge Assistant Chief Jacob Ouma, trouble began shortly after a dowry ceremony held on Saturday for Otieno’s elder sister. During the negotiations, the bride’s family received several animals as part of the dowry settlement.
But later that night, Otieno allegedly demanded full control of the dowry livestock — insisting the cows were his rightful share as the only adult son involved in the process. Family members reportedly tried to calm him down, with his mother offering him a single calf instead.
The gesture enraged Otieno, who felt shortchanged. The disagreement escalated into a loud quarrel, punctuated by repeated claims that he was being “cheated” out of his rightful inheritance.
At around 9:00 p.m., Otieno stormed out of the homestead. Relatives assumed he had gone to cool off.
But several hours later, youths returning from a funeral vigil stumbled upon a chilling sight — Otieno’s body hanging from a mango tree just metres from a village pathway. They raised the alarm immediately.
When the family rushed to the scene, they were met with the grim confirmation that the earlier altercation had spiraled into tragedy.
Assistant Chief Ouma, who responded to the distress call at around 3:00 a.m., confirmed that the dowry dispute was at the centre of the night’s events.
“The dowry ceremony was completed earlier in the day. The deceased insisted he deserved at least two cows. The family offered him one calf, and a disagreement followed. He left the homestead and never returned,”
— Kadenge Assistant Chief Jacob Ouma
He urged families to handle domestic disputes with caution, emphasizing that tempers flaring over cultural practices should not cost lives.
Police officers from Siaya arrived at the scene shortly after being notified. They documented the area before transferring the body to the Siaya County Referral Hospital mortuary.
A postmortem examination is expected to shed further light on the death, though authorities have preliminarily classified it as suicide.
Residents of Alego Usonga remain deeply shaken by how a dowry disagreement — a routine cultural event — spiraled into a fatal outcome within hours.
Local leaders and family counsellors are calling for more community awareness on conflict resolution, mental health, and the growing pressure surrounding traditional practices.
The investigation is ongoing.
Editor’s Note: Featured Image used for illustration only
Leave a Reply