By Dickens Wasonga in Kisumu city,Kenya.

AS the search for clues as to what could have possibly led to the death of their son in the Netherlands entered the second week, the family of the late Franklin Otieno Otieno now wants the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to help them unravel the mystery surrounding his death.

The mother of the 29 -year- old Kenyan yesterday told journalists at her Siaya County rural home that after several attempts to seek help from the government, the family has realized they are on their own as the reality of losing their dear son in a distant land continue to painfully sink down.

Mrs. Florence Othieno said their only option was now to persuade the Kenyan media and human rights organizations like the KNCHR chaired by Ms Florence Jaoko to help them in the search for the truth behind circumstances surrounding the death of her first born son.

The family was quoted in a section of the Kenyan media accusing the Ministry of foreign affairs of ignoring their plight at the hour of need.

The late Franklin’s family wrote a letter to the ministry through the Permanent Secretary Mr. Thuita Mwangi but no positive response has been forthcoming.

They also accused their local member of parliament Mr. Edwin Yinda of not petitioning the government to help them probe what led to the death of the young man who had been a student at Houston college in the US studying pharmacy for a period of eight years.

When he died on Sunday last week, Franklin was reportedly being held by the immigration officers at the Netherlands.

It is not clear why he was being held and his family insists that he was in good health and was in constant touch with his Kenyan girlfriend who lives in the US.

The news of his untimely demise was also passed to the parents through the girlfriend who is reported to have been notified about the incident by the immigration officials who were holding Franklin in the Netherlands.

Independent investigations by this writer revealed that Franklin was held at a detention center in Schiphol which is not like a normal prison.

Although the source of this writer can not be quoted because he is not an authority, this journalist gathered that the detention center is sort of a limbo for people waiting to be sent out of the country.

The source further revealed that the center is not a jail for criminals. Its only goal is to give a place to stay for people who have to leave the country.

Still it is not clear why he had to spend two or more months at the center where he later died before he was deported back to Kenya if at all he was to be.

His father told reporters who gathered for a news conference early last week at a Kisumu hotel that the last time he spoke with his son was sometime in June and that at the time Franklin told him he was preparing to come back home having completed his course.

He had been living in the US having gone there in 2002 as student and his parents were not aware he was visiting Netherlands until two weeks ago when the family received the shocking news of his mysterious death.

The body of the deceased was supposed to have been flown back to the country this Tuesday by the Dutch authorities but the family rejected the move claiming it was an attempt to conceal the truth about what killed their son and vowed not to travel to Nairobi to receive it.

They also demanded that an independent autopsy be performed on the body to ascertain cause of death and the process be witnessed by a family lawyer or in the presence of a representative of the Kenyan government.

Yesterday, a sombre mood engulfed his Mur Ngiya Alego village when his mother and relatives took the sad news of his sudden death.

Villagers trooped in numbers into the home of the late Franklin to condole with his family and it was clearly a big loss not only to the Othienos but the entire village.

ENDS.