The simple act of going to buy a ream of paper has turned into a nightmare for a family in Kitale. 15-year-old Sarah "Magogo" Barasa, a Form Three student at Hill School, has been missing since Tuesday, leaving behind a distraught family and a community gripped by fear. Her disappearance is the latest in a worrying trend of students vanishing just as schools reopen.

Sarah’s brother, Gilbert Wafula, recounts the last moments with haunting clarity. She left home with money for school supplies and never returned. "We have checked the shops, the friends' houses, the hospitals. Nothing," he says. The family admits that Sarah’s grades had slipped recently, a sign that something might have been troubling her, but they never imagined she would vanish.

The "Teacher" Angle

A disturbing detail has emerged. The family alleges that a local teacher may have been "distracting" the young girl, a euphemism that hints at grooming or an inappropriate relationship.

• Predatory Behavior: If true, this points to the vulnerability of schoolgirls to authority figures who should be their protectors.
• Police Inaction? The matter has been reported to the police, but the family feels the wheels of justice are turning too slowly. "We are told to wait," Gilbert says. "But every hour she is out there is dangerous."
• A Pattern of Loss: In a chilling coincidence, another student, Jezreel Okoth, also went missing in the same week while preparing for Sawagongo Boys High School. Is there a connection, or is it a tragic statistical cluster?

Bring Sarah Home

The Barasa family is not sleeping. They are appealing to anyone with information to come forward. "She is just a child," her mother cries. "Whatever the problem is, we can fix it. Just come home."

As the sun sets over Kitale, a bed remains empty, a uniform hangs unworn, and a family prays that their "Magogo" is safe, somewhere, waiting to be found.