In the quiet neighbourhood of Kiratina in Nakuru East sub-County, Celestine Anyona and Bernard Masanga sat on a bench outside their house, deep in thought while holding the portrait of their son.
Isaac Francis, their one year and two months old son, had gone missing. His laughter that once filled the compound was replaced by echoes of unanswered questions as the family and friends began making burial arrangements.
Isaac disappeared mysteriously on October 4. And over the weekend, the minor’s body was found dumped in a drainage trench, a few metres away from home.
Who killed young Isaac? What was the motive? These are the questions that his family is grappling with.
What began as a desperate search for the missing child turned tragic. Fighting back tears, Ms Anyona, a casual labourer, recalled the fateful day when her child went missing. She had prepared porridge and left him under the care of his siblings when she left home for work.
"At around 11am, my younger sister called me and informed me that Isaac was missing. I was disturbed. I was unable to continue working. l rushed home to find out what was happening," Ms Anyona said.
"When l arrived home, l realised that my sister, who lives nearby, had picked up Isaac, his brother (5) and sister (9) to watch over them. She took them to her house-cum-salon. The two older children left the house to go and play. My sister said she requested a neighbour to take care of Isaac briefly while she went to the salon to make a client’s hair. When she was done, she went to pick up the child. However, the neighbour denied ever being left with a child," Ms Anyona said.
What followed was a frantic search for the child by neighbours and friends. They combed through open fields and in homes, but there was no trace of the minor.
The family reported the disappearance of the child at the Teachers Police Station in the evening. A missing person report was filed, and officers promised to begin investigations immediately.
Ms Celestine Anyona holds the portrait of her son Isaac Francis who went missing from their home in Kiratina, Nakuru County on October 4, 2025 only to be found dead two weeks later.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
But days turned into nights, then unbearable silence. For two agonising weeks, the family held on to hope. Every knock on the door and every phone call triggered waves of anxiety.
“I kept imagining my baby crying somewhere, calling for me. I prayed that whoever had him would bring him back. I would have forgiven them,” Ms Anyona said.
“On the day my child was found, I had left home for prayers. But I later received a distressing phone call from my husband. He told me that our son had been found. After asking him persistently about his condition, he eventually told me that our child was dead,” she said.
Ms Anyona said that she rushed to the scene. Upon arrival, she confirmed that he was the one because when he went missing he was wearing a green trouser, a grey shirt, and blue shoes. The body had been retrieved from a drainage trench.
“His body had strange things. His hair had been shaved. He had a diaper on, yet he was not wearing one when I left him. His eyes seemed to have been gouged out. He also had visible injuries on his head. He only had one sock and one shoe. I am devastated. I do not know whom I offended to do this to me,” she said.
Mr Masanga said that on the day Isaac’s body was discovered in the trench, he had left for work, only to receive a phone call from a neighbour that his son was dead.
Mr Masanga said Isaac's body was found at 1pm. Police officers picked up the body three hours later after residents protested. It was taken to Nakuru City Mortuary.
“The two weeks have not been easy for us. We barely eat, slept, or went to work. I had passed near that trench but I never saw the body. I couldn’t believe it was my son. His body was swollen. I identified him through a birth mark on his neck," Mr Masanga said.
"Who killed my son, and why? What did a one-year-old do to deserve death?" He asked.
Mr Masanga said that during the search for his son, he visited various police stations, hospitals, and mortuaries daily, desperate for answers, but all was in vain.
Family and relatives of one-year-and-two-months old Isaac Francis who went missing from their home in Kiratina, Nakuru County on October 4, 2025 only to be found dead two weeks later.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
"I urge the police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to expedite investigations and arrest the killers of my son. All we want as a family is justice for Isaac," he told the Nation.
“We also have a huge burden ahead of us. We are supposed to conduct a postmortem and transport his body to Kakamega County for burial. We call upon well-wishers to come to our aid. We have not been told anything concrete. We want justice for our son. He did not deserve to die like that," he said.
Nakuru Human Rights Network Director David Kuria also demanded speedy investigations into the incident.
"It is a shocking incident, and we want the police to move with speed and track down the killers. What was the motive of the killing?" Mr Kuria wondered.
Kiratina Nyumba Kumi elder Francis Kingori, while noting that it is the first incident to be reported in that area, called on parents to be vigilant especially as the December holidays approach.
When contacted for comment, Nakuru County Police boss Emmanuel Epuru said, that they have launched investigation into the unfortunate incident.
“The body was badly decomposed when it was retrieved. The matter requires patience and thorough investigation, but we hope to make a breakthrough. We will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to book,” he said in a phone interview.
This is the second incident of such nature to be reported in Nakuru recently. On September 8, two-year-old Prince Nathan went missing only to be found dead three weeks later. His decomposed body was retrieved from River Ndarugu.
