Puzzle of woman, ex-husband and new lover in lost child’s case

BY MICHAEL MUGWANG’A

A woman in Nairobi is agonising over the whereabouts of her son who has been missing since August, last year. Mary Nyambura Chege is now desperate as hope of finding him alive diminishes daily.

Abdulkarim Muhenye Abed disappeared from Kayole Estate home on August 22. He was in the care of Nyambura’s boyfriend (name withheld) as she had left home for work. Nyambura is an ex-wife of Mr Musa Mohammed, a prison officer working in Kitale. Abdulkarim is the second born of the separated couple’s three children. He was five at the time of his disappearance.

It has been a futile search worsened by suspicion among the players — mother, father and boyfriend — while the police have been dismissive of the matter.

Kayole OCPD Samuel Mukindia confirmed receiving a report on the case but believes one of the three is hiding information.

“When I enquired about the case, I was informed the child was spotted in Kitale with one of the father’s relatives. We referred the mother there,” Mukindia said, adding he was not at the station when the case was reported.

Police inaction

However, Nyambura said she does not know where to search in Kitale and has been to the police, the children’s department and the Provincial Administration with no help forthcoming.

Musa has also made fruitless trips to authorities.

“Every time I go to police, I get dismissed with officers saying we need to do our duty of finding the child. I do not understand what I have not done for one year,” Nyambura said, fighting tears during the interview with The Standard a week ago.

In an earlier interview, Musa told The Standard of frustrations trying to find his son.

“I have done all that I could just to get information on Abdulkarim’s whereabouts but I have not made much progress. I can hardly concentrate on anything else knowing my son could be in danger,” Musa said.

On the day Abdulkarim disappeared, Nyambura’s boyfriend called her at about mid-day saying the boy had gone to play three hours earlier and had not returned. She asked the man to search for him as she sought permission to leave work early.

She arrived home at 3pm and joined the search in earnest.

An hour and-a-half later and without answers, she reported to Kayole Police Station.

Officers at the station “advised” her to keep searching after recording the case OB number 058/22/08/11, 1652Hrs.

She continued searching and later called her former husband, Musa, and informed him of the disappearance.

Musa travelled from Kitale to Nairobi the following day and joined his ex-wife in the search, but after two days went back to work. But before he left, Musa said he felt there was animosity from his ex-wife’s boyfriend.

“There was obvious lack of co-operation from the man who was the last person with the child and I felt there was something he was hiding,” said Musa.

Interestingly, Nyambura concedes the boyfriend whom she lives with has shown very little interest in finding her son.

“He does not even take it kindly when he learns I am searching for my son. I guess it is something masculine since he and the boy’s father do not get along well,” Nyambura said, adding her son never got along with the boyfriend.

“Abdulkarim never wanted to be with my boyfriend and I remember the day he disappeared he had pleaded with me not to leave him behind,” said Nyambura.

During the search, Nyambura discovered a pair of slippers her son was wearing on the second floor of a flat near their house. The boy’s aunt, who was not at home then, lives on the third floor of the flat.

“It seems my son was running away from my boyfriend to his aunt when he disappeared,” said Nyambura. Neither the boyfriend, nor the aunt’s housegirl who was at home at the time, has been questioned by police. Indeed no one else has been questioned.

In April, Nyambura got a message on phone saying her son died and was buried. She reported to Kayole Police Station and was told “to go and investigate where he was buried and report back”. That report was recorded as 0B 031/21/4/12.

Musa and Nyambura are wondering where their son who was attending nursery school is. She has been receiving calls from strangers promising to deliver the boy, but at a cost.