Mombasa Magistrate Receives “RIP” Threat Outside Court Chambers

Detectives in Mombasa are investigating an incident in which an unknown person painted threatening messages on the stairs leading to the chambers of Mombasa Senior Resident Magistrate David Odhiambo.

According to police, the message was allegedly intended to intimidate the magistrate and discourage him from performing his official duties. The matter has been reported under OB number 14/13/10/2026 as an offence of endangering life and health.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCIO) has taken over the case to establish the identity of the person responsible and the motive behind the threats.

In his statement to police Odhiambo said that on October 12, at about 6:30pm, he was leaving his chambers at the Mombasa municipal court building when he spotted the letters “RIP” painted on the stairs leading to his door. The letters stand for Rest in Peace, a message associated with death.

The magistrate told police the words caught his attention and caused him fear. “He took a photo of the same using his mobile phone.

He feels that his life is being threatened due to the nature of his work and this could be a litigant,” reads part of the police report.

Odhiambo has sought police help in apprehending the suspects. However, because the building housing the court has no CCTV cameras, efforts to trace them are still ongoing.

A spot check by People Daily yesterday established that security at the building had not been beefed up and only one court orderly is assigned to guard the magistrate.

Odhiambo, though soft-spoken, is renowned as a tough magistrate who delivers justice in sexual offences and other criminal cases.

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