On December 23, 2025, six men, two of them Japanese tourists, set out on a mission to conquer Mt Kenya, hoping that by Christmas Day they would be on top of Africa’s second-highest mountain.
To climb the mountain, enthusiasts approach it through the Chogoria, Timau or Naromoru routes, under the close supervision of experienced guides.
On this day, one of the guides was Samuel Macharia, who had been contracted by his elder brother, Daniel Kagwaini, to help the Japanese climbers reach the summit.
But the mission ended in agony for the family and friends after Macharia, 35, disappeared without a trace, leaving his kin in shock.
His whereabouts remain a mystery 17 days on, after a search yielded nothing, with those close to him clinging to the hope that Macharia, a veteran mountain guide who started climbing Mt Kenya at the age of 20, is still alive.
The group left Nanyuki town in the morning via the Sirimon route near Timau. However, upon arrival at Shipton’s Camp at around 2pm, the team realised that Macharia was missing.
The crew had been walking for seven hours and was to spend the night at the camp before heading to the summit early the next morning.
At first, they suspected that Macharia, who had been assigned the task of carrying food supplies, could have been left behind momentarily, a normal occurrence in mountain climbing.
However, after waiting for nearly an hour, he failed to show up and panic set in, prompting colleagues to retrace their steps in a frantic search.
One of his colleagues reported leaving him seated on a rock after he complained of fatigue and decided to take a short break, promising to catch up with the rest later.
Over the years, there have been reported disappearances and loss of lives during hiking expeditions on Mt Kenya. But the latest case is baffling in that a guide with over 15 years’ experience navigating the unforgiving terrain could simply vanish into thin air.
Macharia’s experience exposed him to prevailing dangers, including sudden shifts in weather patterns at high altitudes and risky routes inhabited by dangerous wild animals.
What is puzzling is that his personal items, including a wallet, national identity card and phone, were found on a footpath, with no indications of a struggle.
The food supplies he was carrying were also recovered, leaving questions unanswered as to whether his disappearance was premeditated. His friends, however, doubt this theory.
“I have worked with my brother for years as a mountain guide, and he did not display any signs of distress or unusual behaviour. We cannot give a convincing explanation as to why he left his personal belongings and decided to take a different route to nowhere,” said Mr Kagwaini.
The brother said he followed the footsteps he believed belonged to his last-born sibling up the mountain, walking for five kilometres while calling out his name, but gave up after dusk when there was no response.
“I have known Machaa for a long time and worked with him as a mountain guide. I really doubt he could have decided to take his own life, and if he indeed walked away on his own, he may have suffered cerebral oedema,” he said.
For Kagwaini, his younger brother’s disappearance evokes painful memories of another sibling, Patrick Murithi, who died in an accident while climbing the mountain five years ago.
“We are a family of four, and three of us have been engaged in this business. In 2021, Murithi, while on an expedition, tripped on a rock and fell down a cliff. He died before we could rescue him,” Kagwaini said.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which manages Mt Kenya National Park, confirmed the disappearance of the guide, saying the matter had also been reported at Timau and Chogoria police stations.
“The incident was reported to our office and the police. We are working closely with the family and friends, and there are plans for a second aerial surveillance to try and establish what could have happened,” KWS said in a statement.
The statement added that aerial surveillance carried out three days after the guide was reported missing was hampered by bad weather and yielded nothing.
Mr Duncan Juma, head of communication at KWS, said the family would be assisted in the search.
“We will provide logistical support in the search. It is still a mystery how a guide with such experience could leave his luggage behind and just disappear,” Mr Juma told Nation in a phone interview.
Friends and relatives are keeping hope alive that Macharia will soon be found in one of the outlying villages after possibly suffering from high-altitude cerebral oedema (HACE) — a condition that can suddenly affect mountain climbers and cause confusion and hallucinations.
Kagwaini said the search team, backed by KWS rangers, would head back to the mountain on Friday, January 9, adding that they were also in the process of procuring a drone to assist in the search.
The family, however, said there had been a slow response by government agencies to the emergency, arguing that there is a need to set up a specialised team to respond to such incidents.
“It is surprising that there is a lack of standby drones and helicopters, despite the lurking danger, for a mountain that attracts thousands of climbers every year,” said Ms Beatrice Kiragu, a cousin of Macharia.
