KWS officers, police tell court missing Brian Odhiambo not in custody

Brian Odhiambo was picked by KWS rangers two week ago at Manyani area and since then he has not been found.

The Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Nakuru East have failed to produce missing youth, Brian Odhiambo, in court.

They claimed that Odhiambo, arrested by KWS rangers on January 18, 2025, had escaped from their custody the same day.

In an affidavit filed yesterday, Abdulrahman Ali, a KWS ranger, told Justice Julius Nangea at the Nakuru Law Courts that Odhiambo escaped while in his custody.

"Our team arrested the suspect for illegal fishing at the Sewage area during our routine patrols. He later asked to relieve himself and, when allowed, he escaped," Ali said.

Ali added that he attempted to apprehend the man believed to be Odhiambo, but he managed to escape.

On January 24, Justice Nangea had ordered the KWS and the DCI to produce Odhiambo, dead or alive.

The two security agencies, KWS and DCI Nakuru East failed to produce Brian Odhiambo in court and maintained he was not in their custody

KWS ranger Abdulrahman Ali denied allegations of assault, stating that Odhiambo had not been processed and his identity was uncertain. Ali requested the court dismiss the petition against KWS regarding Odhiambo's disappearance.

Samuel Ngeiywa, Superintendent of Police at DCI Nakuru East, confirmed that Odhiambo was never processed at DCI and is not in their custody. He noted that Odhiambo's disappearance was reported by his wife and mother on January 19. The report was recorded under OB 23/19/1/2025. Ngeiywa said that all witnesses blamed KWS for Odhiambo's arrest and he visited the scene where KWS claimed he escaped.

Ngeiywa also sought to track Odhiambo's phone through Safaricom and Airtel, discovering it had been switched off in the Karunga area. "To date no tangible information has been received on the where-about of Odhiambo," he wrote in the affidavit.

He said the six were arrested for alleged abduction, but were released pending completion of investigations. He added that the identification parade of the six was ongoing.

Lawyer Mogendi Abuya, representing Odhiambo's mother, expressed dissatisfaction with the explanations. He indicated intentions to cross-examine the officers and requested time to file a reply. The judge ordered the response to be filed by Thursday when further directions will be issued.