Parents’ agony as eight-year search for son unearths nothing

The parents of Jackson Kipyegon Koima (inset). [Photos: Joseph Kipsang/Standard]

By Robert Kiplagat

A visit to his girlfriend that turned sour after her brothers beat him up was the last time anyone heard of Jackson Kipyegon Koima, a resident of Chepronge village in Ngetmoi, Baringo County. That was January 6, 2006, when Jackson headed for Kabarnet town, some 15km from his home.

He told his parents he was going to buy items for sale in their small kiosk but never returned, leaving his family in agony as eight years on, have they yet to hear from him.

His parents, Samuel Kipng’ok and Kabon Koima, who are in their 60s, say they later heard that he never went shopping but headed for his girlfriend’s home. They had a child together.

“That Saturday, we didn’t sense anything wrong. But he didn’t return on Sunday and when we realised his phone was off, we were prompted to start looking for him on Monday,” says Kipng’ok.

He says in Kabarnet, they were directed to the supermarket where their son had gone to shop and even found the goods he had purchased, which he had left with the attendant after assuring her that he would be back.

On inquiring more, Kipng’ok was told that Jackson had gone to visit his girlfriend in a village near the town that Saturday evening and the girl’s brothers had beaten him up because they were unhappy with the relationship as Jackson was married with a daughter.

“We heard that while he was waiting to see his girlfriend near her home, her brothers, who were drunk, attacked him. In self-defense, he pushed one of them onto a rock and fled,” narrated Kipng’ok.

The family reported Jackson’s disappearance at Kabarnet Police Station, where the two men were being held, but they denied killing him and hiding his body.

The suspects’ acquittal marked the beginning of an endless search for their son.

His father says: “We don’t know if he was killed by the girl’s brothers and his body hidden or whether he escaped after he pushed and injured one of the men, probably thinking he had killed him. We are in agony.”

Since then, the family has travelled to different places, including neighbouring Elgeyo/Marakwet and further to Bomet in vain. They have even consulted witch doctors who assured them that their son was still alive.

Jackson’s younger brother, Edward Koima, 32, says he is optimistic that his brother is alive somewhere and that they will see him some day.

“I was working in Nyeri at the time when I learnt that my brother had gone missing.

“I took leave from work immediately and came home. We looked everywhere; all the lodgings, all the cliffs and the mortuary in Kabarnet, but we didn’t find him,” says Edward.

He adds that his brother might have taken off fearing arrest for injuring his girlfriend’s brother. Edward had visited the scene of the incident but found nothing to indicate that there was a fatal fight.

Jackson’s mother says her desire is to see her son, dead or alive.

“If he is dead, where is the body? And if he is alive, where is he? I hope he will come home someday even though we stopped looking for him,” says Kabon.

Eventually, Jackson’s wife went away, leaving their ten-year-old daughter behind.

The family appeals to anyone who might have information about their son to contact them.