NAKURU, KENYA - Six Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers methodically planned and executed the disappearance of Nakuru fisherman Brian Odhiambo, a senior detective told a Nakuru court on Monday, November 10, 2025. Chief Inspector Julius Muhui, the lead investigator, provided a detailed account alleging that the officers brutalised Mr. Odhiambo outside Lake Nakuru National Park on January 18, 2025, before dragging him back into the park and forcibly disappearing him.

The testimony marks a critical turning point in a case that has gripped the nation for nearly ten months, placing the conduct of KWS personnel under intense judicial and public scrutiny. The six officers—Senior Sergeant Francis Wachira, Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Ochieng, Michael Wabukala, Evans Kimaiyo, and Abdulrahaman Sudi—have been charged with abduction with intent to confine. They have pleaded not guilty.

Chief Inspector Muhui testified before Senior Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibellion that his investigation dismantled the narrative initially presented by the rangers, who claimed Mr. Odhiambo, 33, had escaped their custody after being arrested for alleged illegal fishing. “From our investigations, we established that Francis Wachira took part in assisting the disappearance and abduction of Brian Odhiambo with other officers who collaborated and executed the abduction,” Mr. Muhui stated in court.

The court heard that on the day of his disappearance, Mr. Odhiambo was pursued by rangers from the park to the nearby Manyani area. Eyewitness accounts gathered by investigators indicated the officers assaulted him, dragged him back towards the park, and bundled him into a Toyota Land Cruiser. Mr. Muhui’s team confirmed the six accused rangers were on duty and part of the operation against illegal fishermen that day. However, while nine other individuals arrested by KWS on the same day were booked at Bondeni Police Station, there was no record of Mr. Odhiambo’s arrest.

A Family's Anguish and a Widening Probe

Brian Odhiambo’s disappearance on January 18, 2025, triggered immediate outcry and protests from his family and the Nakuru community. His wife, Alvy Okello, and mother, Elizabeth Auma, have been at the forefront of a desperate search for answers, attending numerous court sessions and pleading with authorities for information. The family’s ordeal has included searching hospitals and mortuaries and filing a habeas corpus petition, which was initially dismissed in February 2025 due to insufficient evidence of state custody.

The case has drawn in multiple state and civil society actors. In May 2025, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Renson Igonga, directed that the six officers be charged with abduction. Human rights organizations, including Vocal Africa and the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), have provided legal support to the family and consistently challenged the official KWS narrative. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has accused KWS of shielding the implicated rangers, who reportedly remained on active duty even after being charged.

In a significant development in October 2025, homicide detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) obtained a court order to search for and potentially exhume bodies within Lake Nakuru National Park, following intelligence suggesting Mr. Odhiambo may have been buried there. The family has, however, accused KWS of frustrating and delaying the execution of this court-ordered search.

Systemic Concerns and Unanswered Questions

The Brian Odhiambo case has cast a harsh spotlight on the broader issue of enforced disappearances in Kenya. According to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), dozens of such cases have been recorded under circumstances allegedly linked to law enforcement agencies. Human Rights Watch has previously documented similar allegations involving various Kenyan security forces, including KWS, during counterterrorism operations.

Witness testimony in the ongoing trial has been harrowing. In September 2025, one witness, currently incarcerated for illegal fishing, told the court he saw a motionless man he recognized as Mr. Odhiambo in the back of a KWS Land Cruiser on the day he vanished. Another witness corroborated this account.

As the trial continues, the key question of Mr. Odhiambo’s whereabouts remains unanswered. The prosecution's case hinges on proving the rangers acted in concert to abduct and conceal him, a charge they deny. The KWS has consistently maintained its officers are not responsible for his disappearance, initially claiming he escaped custody. The defense has yet to present its case in full. The hearing is set to continue, with the court having visited the scene of the alleged abduction on Monday, November 10, 2025, to gather further evidence. The nation watches, awaiting justice for a family trapped in agonizing uncertainty.