This archive report was first published on 3 July 2020.
Families of Missing Persons Left in Agony as Investigations Drag On ¶
It has been over three months since three friends – Michael Njau, a human rights activist, his cousin Adan Saibu Njau, and their friend Samuel Mungai – vanished. Michael and Saibu had left Nairobi for Thika to meet Samuel, a taxi operator, on April 24.
Along the way, investigators say, two other people boarded the vehicle, and they all proceeded towards Nairobi. However, it is unclear at what point the three disappeared, but police reports indicate that their phones were switched off between Githurai and Kasarani.
Michael, 34, is a father of three – two sons and a daughter – and his brother says his disappearance has caused untold agony in the family. His brother, Harrison Nyambura, expressed frustration that the investigating officers at Thika Police Station had been affected by the mass transfers effected in May.
“We visited Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai three weeks ago, but all he said was that investigations were still on,” Michael’s brother Harrison Nyambura said. The families have visited countless hospitals, mortuaries, and even searched in parks to no avail.
Henry Murimi Mugo, 28, who went missing on June 9, set off from Embu to visit a cousin’s family in Thika. His phone went off, and he did not arrive home. His sister, Joy Kageni, says Murimi had been out of employment since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and had been doing casual jobs in different parts of the country.
Dafton Mwitiki, a businessman, disappeared on March 11, moments after he picked up his children from school. His brother, Victor Mwitiki, said Dafton left in a hurry, saying that he was heading to the office to finish up on some work. Ten days after Dafton was reported missing, his car was found abandoned near a coffee plantation in Juja.
Francis Mutuku, 26, the Kenyatta University student who disappeared on December 20, 2019, was supposed to graduate with a Bachelors of Education degree. On the eve of his graduation, his sister, Agnes Mutuku, says Francis called her and they spoke briefly. Later on at 5pm, he texted his mother: “Hello mum....been struggling in the hands of strangers since morning, pray for me in my last moments as they send me to dance with the angels.”
More than 2,350 people have been reported missing in Kenya since December last year, with some cases dating back years. Families of the missing persons are left in agony as investigations drag on.
