For nine agonizing years, an Eldoret family has been haunted by a single, unanswered question: Where is David Kipkorir? A truck driver based in Mombasa, Kipkorir disappeared in 2016, leaving behind a life, a family, and a trail that has long since gone cold.

The family's renewed appeal for information brings a deeply personal story into the public eye, highlighting the broader, often-overlooked crisis of missing persons in Kenya. The search is not just for one man, but for an end to the torment of uncertainty that grips countless families across the nation.

Kipkorir was last known to be living in Mombasa's Magongo Estate. According to a recent public appeal, his disappearance has had a devastating impact. "His family lived in Magongo, Mombasa, but they went back to the village since life became unbearable after their breadwinner went missing," noted Christine Ndanu Kadot, who shared the family's plea online.

A Trail of Whispers

With official channels yielding no results, the family's search now relies on public memory and goodwill. Unverified leads have emerged from online discussions, including a suggestion that Kipkorir once worked at Kaya Kinondo Forest in Ukunda. Another netizen proposed a digital search, suggesting a check of his driver's license status on the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) portal to see if it has been renewed.

While such a check is possible for the license holder via the eCitizen platform, it underscores the desperate measures families resort to when formal investigations stall. The standard procedure for a missing person case begins with filing a report at the nearest police station, a step families are urged to take immediately.

The Unseen Crisis

David Kipkorir's story is a stark reminder of a nationwide issue. While there is no single national database for missing persons, individual police stations maintain registers. However, organizations like Missing Voices track cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, documenting 22 cases of enforced disappearance in 2022 alone. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) recently formed a special unit to tackle the rising number of abduction and missing persons cases.

For families, the legal and emotional limbo is excruciating. Under Kenyan law, a person can be legally presumed dead after being missing for seven years, a step that requires a High Court declaration. But for the Kipkorir family, and many others like them, legal resolutions offer little comfort. What they seek is not a death certificate, but a definitive answer.

The family's plea remains simple and urgent: "The family is requesting anyone who knows his whereabouts to come forward. Have you seen him anywhere?" As they approach a decade of waiting, their hope endures, a testament to a family's refusal to let a loved one be forgotten.