This archive report was first published on 11 May 2021.
Kitale, Kenya - February 11, 2021, marks the day Joseph Maina, 28, went missing after being reportedly arrested by police in Kitale. His family has been searching for him ever since, but to no avail.
According to the family, Maina was arrested at a hotel in Kitale and has not been seen since then. They claim to have surrendered a police uniform and a baton, which they allege were given to Maina by a police corporal at Matisi to use in executing crime.
Kitale West OCPD Patrick Lobolia denied allegations that officers lease out police uniforms and firearms to civilians who use them in criminal activities. "None of our officers can give civilians uniforms to use to commit crime. That is a serious offence and action will be taken against any officer doing so," he said.
The family suspects the delay to retrieve data from the hotel was a tactic to destroy evidence. Independent Police Oversight Authority Chairperson Anne Makori said they were investigating the matter with a view of establishing if there was police involvement in the disappearance.
On the day of his disappearance, Maina approached a boda boda rider, Patrick Ambai, at Matisi stage and requested to be dropped at the hotel. He instructed him to wait for him as he wanted to be dropped back to his work place. "It was around 10am when I saw Maina step out of the hotel while handcuffed and accompanied by two men. He was led to a waiting car and driven off," Ambai said of what transpired that day.
