Mr Wesley Kipkemoi Bett, a carpenter, left his home in Bomet on March 30 to his workshop for what would have been a routine trip, except it wasn’t on this fateful day.
The 35-year-old father of two drove alone in his Toyota Probox from his Kagawet village home in Bomet Central Constituency to the workshop at Zebra Estate on the Bomet-Silibwet highway.
Fellow traders who saw him on that fateful day said he picked up some tools from the workshop and mentioned he was headed to an undisclosed site in Kyogong on the Bomet-Longisa highway to carry out some repairs.
Before leaving, he stopped by a shop next to his workshop to deposit some money into his mobile phone’s M-Pesa account.
“I deposited Sh20,000 for him which he handed me in cash. He didn’t appear troubled and he was his usual quiet self,” said Peter Kirui, a local shopkeeper.
It was around 8.30 am when Bett completed the financial transaction, dressed in his trademark cap, a T-shirt, grey trousers and black shoes.
“As he left, he told me that if anyone came looking for him, I should inform them that he was rushing to Kyogong for some quick repairs,” Mr Kirui said, adding that Bett was carrying a hammer and a tape measure.
Ms Viola Bett, the widow of Wesley Bett who was murdered in Mau forest, in this photo taken on April 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
He then drove off alone in his Toyota Probox car. That moment marked the last time friends and fellow traders would see him alive.
It is believed that two people had called to request transport services from him saying they needed to travel to Kuresoi in Nakuru County and back to Bomet.
A third passenger, a woman, was picked up at Silibwet Trading Centre for the journey.
According to an officer privy to the investigations, a few metres into the Mau Forest, the woman reportedly screamed claiming the men in the vehicle were attempting to rape her.
She filed a report at Kiptagich Police Station in Kuresoi South saying there had been an attempt to sexually assault her by people in the car. However, investigators noted inconsistencies in her narration, with little proof of a physical assault or a clear explanation of how she escaped her alleged captors.
“Bett’s body was later found dumped in the forest. He had been strangled and had visible injuries on the neck, head and chest,” said Bett’s father Jonathan Joel Sang.
Wesley’s widow Viola Bett said he had shown no signs of stress when he left home that Sunday morning.
“He said he would be back soon after attending to some business. But later, I realised I didn’t have money for church offerings and called him to send me some. I called him but he didn’t pick up. That was unusual for him,” Viola said in an interview.
She said she later learned through a relative that her husband’s car had been found abandoned near Masese village along the Silibwet-Kiptagich road in Mau Forest.
That marked the beginning of five agonising days for the family before Bett’s body was discovered in the forest.
“We are devastated. We ask the government to ensure justice is served and the killers are arrested. Our children don’t even understand that their father is gone. They keep asking when he’s coming back. It’s painful,” the widow said.
“It’s unbelievable that anyone would kill our son. He had no known disputes with business associates or friends. We hope police will unravel this diabolical act,” said Mr Sang.
The family alleged that police officers at Kiptagich Police Station were uncooperative during the search, arguing that the scene of the crime fell under Narok County, not Nakuru.
This bureaucratic confusion, they said, delayed the search and heightened their anguish.
Family spokesperson Joseah Sang said preliminary investigations suggested Bett may have been abducted by individuals targeting either his vehicle or cash they believed he was carrying.
Wesley Bett's family led by his mother - Ann Sang (second left), his widow Viola Bett, his father Jonathan Joel Sang and Josiah Sang with Kembu Ward MCA Bernard Langat Makiche (right) on April 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
Bett had recently sold the Probox vehicle to a police officer based in Mombasa. He was expected to hand it over after receiving the final payment. The officer attended Bett’s funeral and confirmed the transaction to mourners. The car has since been detained at Kiptagich Police Station.
There is also speculation that those who hired the car knew he had received part of the payment from the sale and believed he was in possession of a significant sum of money.
The theory is that they may have murdered him upon discovering he didn’t have the amount they expected.
“After two days of trying to get help from Kiptagich police, villagers took matters into their own hands. They hired a lorry and transported themselves to the scene where the vehicle was abandoned,” Mr Sang said.
The villagers split into search teams and combed both sides of the forest road hoping to find Bett alive. On the first day of the search, they found his cap, his phone and a handbag and phone belonging to the woman who was reportedly in the car, one kilometre into the forest.
But that hope quickly turned to despair. Four days after his disappearance, searchers stumbled upon his naked, lifeless body three kilometres into the forest.
“He died of strangulation with a broken thorax and ruptured internal organs,” the report stated.
When the body was retrieved, police initially wanted to take it to Nakuru. But the family and community members who had helped in the search resisted leading to a standoff. Eventually, the officers agreed to take the body to Longisa County Referral Hospital.
“The only police officers who have been of help in this case are the ones from Bomet led by the County Criminal Investigations Officer George Ogao. We are still wondering why the senior officers at Kiptagich police station in Kuresoi South, Nakuru County were very uncooperative,” Mr Sang said.
Local leaders condemned the killing and called for justice. Bomet East MP Richard Yegon and Kembu Ward MCA Bernard Langat Makiche urged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to expedite investigations and arrest the culprits.
“We want the police to get to the root of this murder and how it was planned, executed and why the body was dumped in the forest. The killers likely hoped the body wouldn’t be found or would be devoured by wild animals,” Mr Yegon said at the funeral.
Mr Makiche said Bett’s murder had left a young, innocent family reeling from a tragedy that remains unresolved.
Wesley Langat, a spokesperson for the business community in Bomet echoed the concerns, noting a rise in mysterious murders and disappearances in the area.
Bomet County Police Commander Edward Imbwaga confirmed the incident but said the case was being handled by police in Kuresoi South, Nakuru County.
Kuresoi South Sub-County Police Commander Francis Omullo confirmed that the rape claim and the murder were both reported at Kiptagich Police Station.
“Due to the geographical location of the incident, the matter has been transferred to Narok North Sub-County under the DCI for further investigation,” Mr Omullo said on Monday.
A senior police officer in Narok confirmed that the investigation is ongoing but that no arrests have been made yet.
“This case spans three counties Narok, Nakuru and Bomet making it complex. But we are following leads and hope to make progress soon,” the officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
