Honey gatherer finds Sh27,000 in forest, gives it to rightful family

Nicholas Sang, the honey gatherer who picked the wallet with money. [Nikko Tanui, Standard]

A honey gatherer who found Sh27,850 in a forest handed it over to a family in Bomet whose son has been missing for nearly a fortnight.

Nicholas Sang, 27, was on a honey gathering mission in Bondet Forest when he stumbled on the money.

"The money was laying on the ground in the middle of the forest. Besides the money, I recovered a pair of socks and a handkerchief," he said. 

Sang who doubles up as a tea picker then took to finding the owner of the wallet.

"From it, I retrieved an identification card belonging to Robert Kipkurui Tonui, from Kapsengere Village, Bomet County," he said. 

In the wallet, there was also a Boda Boda sale agreement which indicated that 27-year-old Tonui had sold a motorcycle for Sh60,000.

He had received a Sh30,000 deposit. 

Finding Tonui

Sang, said that when he finally managed to locate Tonui's home, he was surprised to find he had been missing since April 7.

"The family reported the matter at the local police station and returned to Bondet forest where the search party found additional items belonging to Tonui; which included a coat, underwear and another pair of socks," he said. 

They, however, found no body.

Tonui's mother Ester Simotwo said she last saw her son on April 6th. 

"My son has been working as a power saw operator and just left home without telling me where he was going," she said.

Mrs Simotwo said she hopes that her son who is a father of one, was still alive. 

"My gut feeling is that he is alive and somewhere out there," she said. 

Tonui is related to former Roads Minister Franklin Bett who has also been in the search party.