"I realised there was no communication from my employer. This made me decide to trace my family. I decided to forgo the salary I should have received," Odongo said.
He chose to return home without any possessions. He neither had a wife nor children.
The octogenarian expressed concerns that his land, which would have been his only property at home, was grabbed.
"It is unfortunate that someone grabbed my land because he thought I was dead. This is very wrong, and that person should be jailed," Odongo said.
He is unwilling to return to Mombasa and is determined to reclaim the property he left behind.
Odongo's 90-year-old sister-in-law, Matasia Akelo, said she was the only one who believed Odongo was still alive. Akelo said she had always prayed for Odongo's return home. "I always prayed that he would one day come back home and find me alive," she said.
After many years away, Odongo had difficulty locating his home. He requested guidance to find the office of the area chief in order to begin tracing his way back home.
He was directed to the office of West Kanyada chief Kenneth Achieng at Kabunde, where he sought assistance.
Even the chief could not recognise the elderly man.
The administrator then sought the help of some senior citizens who helped to locate Odongo's family.