Jacob Omuoyo, 17, a Form Two student at Nyansiongo Boys High School, left home on April 27, 2025, but never reported to school.
Since then, his whereabouts have remained unknown.
According to his father, Thomas Omuoyo, Jacob travelled alongside his sister.
On arrival in Kisii town, they called their parents informing them of their safety, and each headed to their respective schools.
But Jacob, who had a mobile phone, could not be reached later that day.
“I called the deputy head of academics to let him know my son was on the way,” Mr Omuoyo said. He later sent Sh2,000 to the teacher to buy books, assuming the boy had arrived safely.
Over the next few weeks, Mr Omuoyo continued sending school-related payments: Sh4,000 for tuition on May 6, and a Sh20,000 bank slip for school fees on May 14. At no point, he claims, did the teachers inform him that Jacob had not reported to school.
It was not until May 30 2025, over a month after Jacob’s disappearance, that Mr Omuoyo asked a friend travelling to Kisii to check on his son, that the truth emerged.
“The teacher went to class to look for my son to prepare him for our private call only to realise he wasn’t there,” Mr Omuoyo recounted. That is when he was informed that his son had not been seen since the April half-term break.
When asked, the class teacher claimed he had been unable to contact Mr Omuoyo because he did not have his number. He then admitted he had not seen Jacob since the April half-term break.
“I was shocked. I had shared my number during registration. We had been chatting on the parents’ WhatsApp group, and I even sent him the bank slip using my phone. Why didn’t he reach out earlier?” Mr Omuoyo wondered.
The family has since filed reports at multiple police stations in Kisii and Nakuru counties and continues to search hospitals and morgues for any leads. However, the school has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.
On May 31, 2025, the father of four left his Mombasa home to go and seek answers. He went to Kisii Central Police Station to report the matter, but he was referred to Manga Police Station in Nyamira County. Mr Omuoyo said the police officers sent him to Matutu, where the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers are stationed.
However, he said the DCI officers told him to go back to the school to confirm the report. When he confronted the school, the class teacher claimed he had no contact with Mr Omuoyo to inform him about his son.
“When I met the deputy principal, the meeting ended in disarray. On June 8 2025, I went back and found the principal, but he told me to go seek solutions from the teachers handling the matter. To date, I have not found answers,” he said.
Mr Omuoyo said he went back to the DCI, who tracked his son’s phone signal to Nakuru on May 2 2025. He said he has been searching for his son, but his efforts have been futile.
Many national, extra-county and county schools have introduced biometric devices in schools to ensure they capture learners’ data upon arriving or leaving the educational institutions.
The biometric devices send text messages to parents whose contact information is in the school records.
Mr Omuoyo said that usually, teachers always call to inform him when his son arrives in school.
“A teacher told me that when the students arrived after the half term, those who had not finished the assignment were sent home. I do not know whether my son arrived at school or not, or whether he was among those who were sent home for failing to finish their homework. The school could have called asking for the fare. I am in the dark,” he said.
Following this incident, Nyansiongo Boys High School has also deployed biometrics, according to a senior teacher. The teacher confided to Nation that the missing student told his classmates that he would not return to school after half term.
However, Mr Omuoyo accused the school of failing to communicate on time. He urged boarding schools to take responsibility for the students through communication with parents or guardians.
Mr Omuoyo said his son joined the school this year from another school. His mother, Rose Omuoyo, could not hide her pain over the disappearance of her son and hopes her son will either return home safely or go back to school.
“The school failed us. As a parent, I am distraught. I don’t know where my son is, I don’t know whether he’s dead or alive. Three months later, I still wonder where my son is,” she said.
Efforts to reach the principal of Nyansiongo Boys High School were futile, as his phone remained busy.
