By Beatrice Obwocha
Like any other school opening day, Mr William Sergon dropped his son Hillary Kipkechem,13, at Baraka Boys Primary School in Molo for the beginning of the second term.
Happy and upbeat to begin the new term, Kipkechem and his dad went through the normal routine of inspection of his school bags by a teacher on duty before father and son bid each other goodbye.
Hillary Kipkechem, 13, who mysteriously went missing from school on May 6. |
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Kipkechem had mysteriously gone missing from the school.
Sergon said he took his son to school on Tuesday, May 5 and the following day he received news from the principal that his son had disappeared.
To date, despite reporting the matter to the police, their son has not been found.
For the past one-week, Sergon and his wife Esther have spent sleepless nights and have stopped going to work to look for their son.
"I believe he is still alive. My biggest worry is, where is he? What is he eating? Where is he sleeping? It’s raining and cold, I just want him to come home," said a distraught Esther amid tears.
The family has placed announcements on FM stations and advertisements in newspapers with the hope of finding their son, with no success.
Every day and night, they keep calling relatives, police stations and anyone with information that might lead them to the boy’s whereabouts.
Sergon recalls the events of May 5 as if they just happened minutes ago. He dropped his son in school at around 1pm and the teacher on duty received him.
"They checked his luggage for any items now allowed by the school. I bade him goodbye and left. He hugged me and cried a bit like on previous opening days," he said.
Sergon, an employee of Telkom Kenya in Nairobi, went to work on May 6 but that evening he received a disturbing call from the school asking him whether his son had arrived home.
"I was baffled because I had dropped him in school. The head teacher told me that he could not be seen in the school," he said.
Sergon called his wife who lives in Nakuru and enquired if the boy had arrived at their London estate home, but she replied in the negative.
Agonising search
Sergon travelled to Nakuru the same evening to start the agonising search for his son.
The Sergons went to school on May 7 to find out what had happened to their boy.
"We talked to the teachers and his friends but no one could tell us where he was," he said.
The principal of Baraka Boys Primary School Mr Joseph Kariuki Maina confirmed that the pupil reported to school on the opening day.
He said he was reported missing from class the following day during the first lesson.
"The pupils were sitting for an exam and that was when the teacher noted he was missing," he said.
At first, they thought he was among pupils who were unwell and were taken for treatment at a hospital in Molo.
Mr and Mrs William Sergon during the interview with ‘The Standard’ at their home in London Estate, Nakuru. Photos: Lucas Thuo/Standard |
Missing boy
Maina said they were alarmed when they noted that he was not among the group and started looking for him in the dormitories and school compound.
They did not find him and they questioned his friends and classmates on whether they knew where he was.
The principal said the boy was reported to have had some money on him, which is against regulation.
"We learnt that he had Sh850 with him, which was unusual since we do not allow pupils to have money. Their pocket money is kept with the school fees and they are given on closing day," he said.
He said by the time his friends saw him last, he was wearing a grey pyjama trouser, a grey t-shirt and jumper that were part of the uniform since they do not allow casual clothes in school.
"We were also told that a boy was seen boarding a matatu at the road nearby early in the morning," he said.
He said he called the parents to ask them whether the boy had been seen at home but they said he had not.
"I reported the matter to the police since it was unusual for a pupil to run away and not go home," he said.
He said they have also looked for him at various police stations and juvenile remand homes in case he was arrested on the streets.
Maina said Kipkechem was one of the most disciplined pupils in the school.
"He had no record of indiscipline, his performance was above average and he has been a pupil here since 2005," he said.
He said the school has adequate security and is well fenced so if he sneaked out, he must have crossed the farm to the road nearby.
Police support
The school head said there had been incidents of children running away due to homesickness but that was when the school was starting in 2004 because the pupils were few.
"Those who ran away went home. This is why we are surprised as to where the boy might have gone," he said.
The Sergons said their son did not complain about the school, except one teacher who was very strict.
"He did not tell us he had any problem at school. He is quite reserved though," said Sergon.
Molo OCPD Achesa Litabalia confirmed that the headmaster reported the missing boy.
"We have sent a signal to all police divisions in the country about the missing boy and we are looking for him. So far we do not have any lead as to where he might have gone to," he said.
The Sergons said they had called their relatives and friends but none of them have seen or heard from their son.
"We hope he will be found soon. I pray he is safe," says Kipkechem’s mother.
