Missing: Edward Kipchumba Terer, a 47-year-old medical laboratory technologist.
What began as an ordinary afternoon on June 2 at the bustling Sambalat marketplace in the volatile Kerio Valley turned into a chilling ordeal that left residents shaken.
Gunshots tore through the air, emptying the busy marketplace in an instant. Grocery stalls were overturned as traders fled in panic, some seeking shelter behind rocks or trees.
Amid the chaos, it was unclear whether the shots came from armed criminals fleeing a multiagency security sweep or from police bringing order to the crime-prone area.
Even after the dust settled, terrified residents remained hidden in homes, convinced security forces were conducting door-to-door searches to find the gunmen.
Missing: Edward Kipchumba Terer, a 47-year-old medical laboratory technologist.
One person who vanished amid the tumult was Edward Kipchumba Terer, a 47-year-old medical laboratory technologist who worked at the Sambalat Clinic in Marakwet East.
Terer had completed his work shift that Monday at around 3pm, only to be allegedly seized by individuals believed to be security officers.
He has not been seen since.
“The disappearance of my brother has caused profound anxiety in our family,” said Terer's younger brother, Augustine Limo. “We have searched morgues across the North Rift, but found no trace. We’re appealing to security agencies to help us locate him.”
Terer, a father of five, had served at the Sambalat Clinic for 11 years.
Missing: Edward Kipchumba Terer, a 47-year-old medical laboratory technologist.
The family reported the abduction at the Tot police station under OB No 10-04-06-2025, but no progress has been made.
“They took his phone, making it impossible to trace him. We have posted on Facebook and Instagram but received no response,” added Mr Limo.
Rising insecurity
The incident came shortly after Catholic priestFr Alloise Cheruiyot Bett was shot dead in Tot, Marakwet East, prompting widespread concern. Although his funeral was held at Ol'lessos Catholic Church in Nandi County, his killers remain at large.
Catholic Priest Father John Maina from Nyandarua was brutally murdered, dying from multiple gunshot wounds.
Adding to the tension, two bodies were discovered dumped by a roadside in Nakuru and they were later identified as Tot residents. These disappearances, suspected abductions and possible extrajudicial killings have stoked fear across the Kerio Valley region.
Police allege that some criminals, fleeing intensified operations, are spreading terror in remote areas.
Kerio Valley, home to the Marakwet, Pokot, Keiyo, Turkana, Tugen and Illchamus communities, has a long history of banditry, cattle rustling and boundary clashes.
In recent months, many bandits have fled into Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia counties due to increased security operations.
Investigations
Security agencies describe the disappearance of Terer not as cattle rustling, but as part of a broader wave of criminal activity and possible abuses related to the crackdown.
“Some of the bandits are adapting more sophisticated tactics—using mobile phones, launching attacks, then escaping on foot or motorcycles into forested escarpments or caves. Though the valley is relatively calm now, we are still pursuing those behind these renewed attacks,” said Elgeyo Marakwet County police boss Peter Mulinge.
While the police secured six arrests in the priest’s murder investigation, they have not made any arrests in Terer’s case.
“We have not received any official report on the missing technologist apart from reports on social media,” said Mr Mulinge.
Meanwhile, escalating insecurity has forced humanitarian agencies operating in the Kerio Valley to suspend their operations.
The Missionary Benedictine Sisters of the Catholic Church recently announced an indefinite closure of their mission stations.
The nuns said threats to their staff have created “mental, emotional, and psychological trauma,” while normal service delivery has become impossible due to staff fleeing the region.
“Due to the rising tension, we have decided, with immediate effect, to close our mission stations indefinitely until the area is deemed safe. This is also to urge the government to find a lasting peace solution, including civilian disarmament,” said Sister Rosa Pascal.
She emphasised that their withdrawal serves as a signal.
“If our presence is no longer essential to the community, then perhaps it is time for us to retreat,” the nun said in an interview.
In response to increasing unrest, police have bolstered patrols and intensified intelligence-led operations across the region.
Authorities have assured residents that security would be restored.
“We are determined to bring the killers of Father Bett to justice,” said Mr Mulinge.
However, displaced bandits and radicals have switched tactics, launching swift, isolated attacks and then vanishing into the remote highlands or urban centers.
The socio-economic impacts are already evident with market activity slowing, travel has become risky and more families are fleeing in fear. Health facilities have had to adjust operations, some closing temporarily, especially in hard-to-reach sub-counties.
