A growing number of enforced disappearances in Kenya have raised alarm, with a Missing Voices report recording 6 cases of enforced disappearances in 2025, down sharply from 55 in 2024.
Amid this national context, a Nakuru family is demanding answers after a fisherman went missing following an alleged arrest by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers.
Brian Odhiambo, 31, a fisherman from Flamingo Estate in Nakuru County, disappeared on January 18, 2025, after he was reportedly arrested for alleged illegal fishing and trespassing in Lake Nakuru National Park.
“I left him at home. He said he was going fishing, but promised to be home early,” said his wife Alvy Okello, who recalled receiving distressing news later that day. “I went to my workplace only to receive a call in the evening from my mother-in-law that my husband had been taken by KWS officers.”
She said her husband was allegedly “brutally beaten, dragged, and bundled in a Land Cruiser” before being taken away. Attempts to trace him at Bondeni Police Station, hospitals, and morgues yielded no results.
“I rushed to Bondeni Police Station to bail him out, but he wasn’t there,” she said, adding that she later visited KWS offices, where officials denied the arrest.
The family has since lived in anguish, with the woman alleging that detectives later informed them that KWS rangers may have secretly buried her husband within the park—claims that remain unverified.
“I have not rested; the memories are still fresh,” she said. “The fact that my husband is still missing 10 months down the line is a pain I can’t fathom.”
Her two children, she added, continue to grow without their father. “My two children need their father, and I also need my husband,” she said, holding his portrait.
The family’s search for justice has come at a heavy cost. She said they have faced arrests, teargas, and harassment while protesting for answers. On March 13, several relatives were arrested during a demonstration near the park and later released, an experience she says left her traumatised.
“I have been near my mobile phone, but the only calls I receive are from the media, neighbours, and friends asking for updates,” she said.
The Missing Voices report also shows that while enforced disappearances dropped from 55 cases in 2024 to 6 in 2025—an 89% decrease concerns remain over accountability.
The same report indicates that incidents of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances declined overall from 159 in 2024 to 131 in 2025, a 17.6% drop.
Men have consistently been the majority of victims of enforced disappearances in Kenya, while young people aged 19–35 remain the most affected age group.
For Brian’s family, however, statistics offer little comfort.
“Justice for Brian, we need his body. I want to bury my husband,” his wife said.
Anti-Government Protest/Anti- Government Riot operations have, for the second year running, emerged as the leading cause of enforced disappearances in Kenya.
In the previous years, enforced disappearances were a result of anti- crime and anti-terror operations, as shown in the table below. This is in stark contrast to President Ruto’s promise to put an end to enforced disappearances once elected.
International Justice Mission Kenya Country Director Vincent Chahale warned that the situation signals a grave concern, particularly as the country approaches the election period.
“I would urge the Judiciary to treat cases of police abuse of power as special cases so that they are fast-tracked, because if we do not see accountability of police officers, then we will see a rise in these violations,” he said.
WHAT NEXT
Amid the rising concern over enforced disappearances, the Missing voices rights groups are urging urgent reforms across key state institutions.
To the National Police Service, recommendations include ensuring all persons in custody are properly recorded in the occurrence book, and that officers are easily identifiable through uniforms, badges, and marked vehicles.
They are also being urged to support investigations into enforced disappearances and killings, provide adequate medical and psychosocial support for officers and their families, and ensure transparent recruitment processes to curb corruption and restore public trust.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has been urged to expedite cases related to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, while developing clear guidelines on habeas corpus and investigations, and strengthening legal frameworks on command responsibility.
The Attorney General has been called upon to operationalise key laws, including the National Coroners Services Act and the Prevention of Torture Act, as well as fast-track compensation for victims of unlawful killings.
Meanwhile, the Judiciary is being urged to fast-track and conclude cases involving enforced disappearances and police killings, strengthen case management, prioritise abuse-of-power cases, and address non-compliance with court orders in habeas corpus proceedings.
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