Missing mountain climbing porter found dead

The body of a 35-year-old mountain porter, missing since December 23, has been recovered on Mount Kenya by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Samuel Macharia disappeared while part of a guiding team accompanying two Japanese tourists on an ascent of Africa's second-highest peak.

In a statement on Saturday, KWS reported that the porter's remains were found in the Hinde Valley area, at an altitude of roughly 4,300 metres.

“KWS mounted an intensive, multi-agency day search and rescue operation, deploying experienced rangers and the mountain search and rescue teams, supported by aerial surveillance and extensive ground operations. The search covered Shipton Camp, Austrian Hut, Mackinder’s Valley, Sendeyo, Hinde Valley, Mintos, the Timau Route and surrounding areas, despite extreme weather conditions, rugged terrain and poor visibility,” KWS said.

“KWS worked in close coordination with the National Police Service and was assisted by mountain guides and porters, including family members and members of the local mountain community. Their courage, resilience, and solidarity were instrumental in the search efforts.’’

Offering condolences, the agency reaffirmed its dedication to protecting lives within Kenya's mountain reserves and its ongoing work to improve mountain safety, emergency readiness and coordinated response protocols.

Macharia’s elder brother, Daniel Kagwaini, who is also a mountain guide and was part of the expedition, explained that the group left Nanyuki in the morning via the Sirimon route. 

After an arduous seven-hour trek, they arrived at Shipton's Camp around 2 pm, at which point they realised Macharia—who was responsible for carrying the food supplies—was missing.

Kagwaini described his brother as a veteran guide with over 15 years of experience navigating Mount Kenya's challenging terrain. On the day, Macharia had shown no signs of illness or unusual behaviour.

“I had worked with my brother for years and we can’t really tell what happened. He vanished under my watch. I retraced our steps and found nothing. I have done a frantic search more than three times through possible routes with no sign of him,” Kagwaini said.