Odhiambo, a fisherman, disappeared near Lake Nakuru National Park on January 18. His mother claims KWS officers abducted him from his home in Flamingo Ward. His wife, Alvy Okello, described him as a simple fisherman who supported her and their two children through casual jobs in Nakuru.
Born on March 20, 1993, Odhiambo attended Kimathi Primary School and Spot Light Mixed Secondary School in Nakuru County. He worked at Oserian flower farm in Naivasha until 2020, then moved to Nairobi for masonry and roofing jobs. After the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted work, he returned to Nakuru, selling onions at Wakulima market before taking up fishing six months ago.
Okello met Odhiambo in 2017, and they have two children, aged six and two. She described him as polite, respectful, and reserved. He was the firstborn of seven, raised by a single mother after their father's death.
On January 18, 2025, Okello was working at a clinic in Nakuru when Auma called to report the abduction.
"Twenty days have passed since I last saw him. We don't know if we will ever see him again," Okello said.
Their children, especially the youngest, cry daily, asking for their father.
"He recently started talking and only asks about his dad. I don't know what to say," she added.
Trauma, anger, and fear have left Okello unable to work.
"I pray he returns, no matter his condition. If he is dead, we want his body," she said.
Auma insists she saw KWS officers assault Odhiambo, throw him into a vehicle near the park's fence in Manyani, and drive off.
"I pleaded with them, but they ignored me," she said.
She demands justice and her son's return, dead or alive, noting the agony of court visits over three weeks.
"I haven't slept in 20 days. Every sound at the door makes me hope it is him," she said.
Auma described Odhiambo as hardworking and sociable, the family's breadwinner.
"He didn't steal or harm anyone. If he is a suspect, they should have charged him. They must bring him back," she said, adding, "I cry a widow's tears. They are parents, don't they understand my pain?"
The family's anguish deepened when Justice Nangea ruled that Auma and the Independent Medical Legal Unit (IMLU), who sued KWS and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), failed to prove KWS held Odhiambo. Nangea closed the case, finding no evidence linking Odhiambo to KWS or DCI custody.
Yet, KWS officer David Oyugi, the assistant director of the park, admitted they arrested someone that day but didn't record details or confirm it was Odhiambo.
Meanwhile, Ngeiywa insists Odhiambo vanished in KWS custody, and the DCI has arrested the six officers, preparing abduction-to-murder charges.
Public outrage led to week-long clashes between residents and police last month, with the promise that protests will continue until Odhiambo is found.
The case has sparked national attention, with Embakasi East MP Babu Owino urging President William Ruto to intervene, as he did for five missing chiefs.
"Order KWS and Nakuru security agents to release Odhiambo to his family," Owino said.
Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja expressed solidarity with the family online, calling for a balanced response.
"Conservation efforts mustn't violate residents' rights and livelihoods," she wrote, referencing clashes between KWS and Manyani residents.
The family, community, and advocates are demanding answers, justice, and Odhiambo's return.