A portrait of Nakuru fisherman Brian Odhiambo who disappeared on January 18, 2025 after being arrested by KWS officers at Lake Nakuru National Park.
Fresh details have emerged indicating that missing Nakuru fisherman Brian Odhiambo disappeared while in the custody of a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) ranger.
Testimonies from prosecution witnesses on Monday revealed that Mr Odhiambo was arrested by four KWS rangers and bundled into an awaiting Land Cruiser at the Sewage area, before being transferred to another vehicle with a single ranger.
Witnesses further testified that the fisherman was never booked at the police station like the other suspects.
Mr Odhiambo allegedly went missing on January 8 after being arrested by KWS rangers.
Six rangers, Senior Sergeant Francis Wachira, Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Ochieng, Michael Wabukala, Evans Kimaiyo, and Abdulrahman Suli, have since been charged with his abduction.
Mr Gedion Chemirmir, a KWS driver, testified before Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibelion that he had been instructed by his superior, Mr Wachira, to ferry around 10 rangers, including the five suspects, for an operation in an area known as Vietnam near Lake Nakuru to crack down on illegal fishing activities.
Along the way at the Sewage area, they encountered two rangers who were chasing a suspect believed to have escaped from the park.
Mr Chemirmir said he drove the vehicle in the direction of the fleeing suspect, later identified as Brian Odhiambo.
“Upon reaching the fence, four rangers jumped out of the vehicle and pursued Odhiambo who had jumped over the fence. They arrested him and brought him back into the Land Cruiser. He was in black clothes, which looked dirty. He did not seem hurt," Mr Chemirmir testified.
He said that Odhiambo was later transferred to another green-and-white cruiser, tied with a rope, and handed over to the driver Mr Suli, one of the accused. Other rangers in Mr Suli’s vehicle disembarked, leaving him alone with the suspect.
“We then proceeded to Vietnam, where we arrested 10 other suspects. They were booked at the KWS offices before being taken to Bondeni Police Station,” he added.
Mr Chemirmir stated he did not see Odhiambo again after the transfer.
Chief Inspector Musee Mwangangi, the OCS at Bondeni Police Station, testified that nine suspects were booked at the station on January 18, 2025. Mr Odhiambo, however, was not among them.
The suspects had been arrested by KWS rangers for illegal fishing and were arraigned in court on January 21. Mr Mwangangi revealed that no missing person report was filed by the rangers when they brought in the other suspects. It was only Mr Odhiambo's wife, Alvy Atieno, who reported him missing on January 19.
“The person in question was not among those brought to the station. The missing person report for Brian Odhiambo Makori was made on January 19. He had last been seen the previous day at 10 am. No report was, however, made about a suspect escaping KWS custody,” said Mr Mwangangi.
Another ranger, Gordon Muniu, confirmed that the first officers to chase the suspect were Ochieng and Kimaiyo, with Lorogoi and Wabukala later joining them to escort Odhiambo to the vehicle.
Mr Muniu also testified that Odhiambo was the only suspect arrested alone that day, while the other 10 were apprehended together at a separate location.
At least nine witnesses have so far testified in the case, with six more expected. The hearing will continue on July 21.
