A family is appealing to members of the public for assistance in tracing a man identified as Salah Maalim, who allegedly obtained millions of shillings from a relative after promising to secure him a lucrative contract under the Kenya Off-Grid Solar Access Project (KOSAP), a World Bank-funded initiative aimed at expanding electricity access in underserved areas.

According to the complainant, Mohamed Fazul, Salah Maalim presented himself as an engineer working with the KOSAP programme and convinced the family that he was in a position to facilitate access to a contract connected to the project.

Trusting his assurances, Mohamed Fazul's brother reportedly released millions of shillings to Salah Maalim with the expectation that the promised opportunity would materialize. However, nearly three years later, the contract has never been awarded, and the promises made at the time have not been fulfilled.

The family says repeated efforts to recover the money or obtain clear answers have been unsuccessful.

What makes the situation even more distressing, according to the complainants, is that Salah Maalim allegedly disappeared shortly after receiving the funds. His phone has reportedly remained switched off for ordinary calls for an extended period. Although he occasionally appears online on WhatsApp, family members claim he ignores messages and has consistently avoided communication.

The matter was reported to California Police Station in Nairobi, where an Occurrence Book (OB) report was recorded. Despite the report, the family says they have not been able to trace the suspect's whereabouts.

They are now appealing to anyone who may have information about Salah Maalim's location to come forward and assist. The family believes that public awareness could help bring the matter to a conclusion and ensure accountability.

"He conned my brother and disappeared. Nearly three years later, we still don't know where he is. We are asking anyone who knows his whereabouts or has seen him recently to contact us or the authorities," said Mohamed Fazul.

Anyone with credible information regarding Salah Maalim's whereabouts is encouraged to share it with the relevant authorities to assist in ongoing efforts to locate him.