Families whose members have disappeared mysteriously in Lamu County are holding onto the hope that the New Year will bring to an end the emotional anguish they have undergone searching for their loved ones.
Many are looking forward to finally resolving the puzzle of their missing relatives in the coming days.
The families remain positive that they will finally reunite with their kin, whether alive or dead.
The big question on their lips is who is responsible for the disappearance of their relatives and for what reasons.
The latest case of mysterious disappearance recorded in the island is that of Lamu County’s King Fahad Referral Hospital’s senior nurse Omar Faraj,41, who went missing on December 19 while in Eldoret.
Mr Faraj enrolled for a higher diploma in pre-operative nursing at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in September.
His father, Mr Faraj Mbiki, is yet to come to terms with his first-born son’s disappearance.
Speaking at their home in Mkomani, Lamu Town, Mr Mbiki said he was hopeful that the family will finally solve the puzzle of his missing son in the New Year.
“Up to now I am still in shock. In fact I don’t believe that my son is missing. I plead with the government to intervene and help trace my son’s whereabouts. I fear for his condition wherever he is. His four wives and 10 children are already suffering because of his absence,” he said.
In Mkunumbi village in Lamu West, another family is also perturbed about their son’s whereabouts.
The family of Makka Mzee has been in the dark for the past six years since their son, 29-year-old Imrana Said Makka, went missing on March 31, 2015.
Mr Makka is said to have been abducted by three men who identified themselves as anti-terror police officers in Malindi Town.
His sister Sada Said Makka told the Sunday Nation that since then, they have never been able to spot, contact or even hear any news concerning her brother who left behind three children.
Sada said despite making all efforts, including visiting various police stations in Lamu, Malindi and Mombasa for enquiries, nothing had materialised.
But she hopes against hope that the New Year will provide all the answers regarding Imrana’s whereabouts.
“We’re yet to get any news on Imrana’s whereabouts. It’s almost six years now since he went missing. I hope that as we begin 2020, someone will tell us something about Imrana’s whereabouts. We’re disappointed with the way the government has been silent on the matter despite the numerous reports we filed. Let someone tell us something about Imrana, whether positive or negative. We will appreciate,” Sada said.
The situation is similar at Kwasasi village in Hindi, Lamu West, where the family of 42-year-old Ali Bunu is yet to come to terms with his mysterious disappearance five years ago.
The father of nine, who owned an estate at Kwasasi village, was said to have been picked at his farm by unknown people in police and military vehicles on the night of April 8, 2016.
During the incident, Mr Bunu’s house and livestock were torched by the ‘officers’ before he was whisked away with his four workers and a nephew to an unknown destination.
All except Bunu were later dumped the next day in a bush near the Bar’goni military camp from where they found their way back.
His sister Hafswa Bunu says the State is better placed to answer their queries since the vehicles that picked up his brother were clearly marked with government number plates as was described by his brother’s casual labourers who were released.
“My brother’s children are suffering. Their education has been affected. Even processing their ID cards has been very difficult, all because their father is absent. The piece of land that our brother owns at Kwasasi in Hindi is also at risk of being grabbed since the owner isn’t around. I plead with the government to help us find our brother so that we can be at peace as a family,” said Hafswa.
In Witu Town, yet another family is in agony over the disappearance of 32-year-old Mohamed Abdalla Ali.
Mr Ali went missing on the night of June 14, 2018.
The last-born in a family of five had completed his secondary education at Witu secondary and was yet to join college.
His father, Mr Abdalla Basalama, is a retired senior sergeant who worked as an Administration Police officer.
“We’ve visited all police stations but we haven’t traced Ali. We’re appealing to the police and any other security agencies to help my family track down the whereabouts of Ali, whether alive or dead,” said Ms Abdallah.
The family of 43-year-old Mohamed Avukame Haroun is also yet to come to terms with his mysterious disappearance on August 23, 2017.
Mr Haroun, a Malindi businessman dealing in property management and land, was taken away by men in a black Toyota Prado to an unknown destination.
His elder brother, Bwanaheri Avukame Haroun, says the father of two was bundled into a car by two armed men who accosted him within the precincts of the Mombasa High Court.
Bwanaheri insists those who took his brother were police officers since they had handcuffs and were armed with pistols.
“They roughed him up, bundled him into the car and drove away. Since then, my bother has never been seen. His phone has also not been going through. I pray that 2020 will be the year when we trace our brother’s whereabouts,” said Bwanaheri.
In Mpeketoni, Lamu West, the family of Mr Osman Abdi, 35, is also in the dark after he went missing in unclear circumstances days after the June 15, 2014, Mpeketoni attack.
Mr Abdi, a milk vendor, is said to have been arrested by police but until now his whereabouts are yet to be established.
In Kiunga village, on the border of Lamu and Somalia, another family is in agony over the mysterious disappearance of their kin since September, 2018.
Mr Ahmed Athman Bilel, 40, a renowned fisherman in Lamu East, went missing shortly after he left Kiunga for a fishing expedition in Ishakani on a motorbike but never reached his destination.
Commenting on the same, Haki Africa Lamu branch coordinator Issakia Yunus said he was aware of the mysterious disappearance cases that have caused immense suffering to the affected families.
In 2018, Haki Africa listed Lamu among the counties in the Coast region with many cases of persons who disappeared mysteriously.
Mr Yunus appealed to the government to come clean and explain where the missing persons are and help the affected families find them.
“The government is the key protector of its citizens. It should therefore come clean and explain where these people are. These families should also be assisted to trace their people whether alive or dead,” he said.
The local police, however, say residents do not always report the disappearances, adding that some of the incidents happened away from home.
“Some of those incidents of disappearance happened outside Lamu. For example, there is the alleged disappearance of the King Fahad County Hospital nurse, Mr Omar Faraj, while in Eldoret. Some of the cases haven’t even been recorded at security offices. We’re investigating all those cases of forcible disappearances. Maybe some of these people have crossed to Somalia for other reasons but we’re investigating. My appeal to the public is that they should report any cases of mysterious disappearances to the police so that prompt investigations are conducted on the same,” said Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia.
