For six weeks, Mr Michael Kimutai has lived with the torment of not knowing what happened to his wife, Ms Lily Cherono, who vanished from their home in Kaplamai, Cherangany, Trans Nzoia County, under mysterious circumstances.
The 57-year-old former presidential escort officer says the uncertainty has robbed him of sleep and peace, with every passing day deepening his fears about the fate of his 53-year-old wife.
His anguish has been compounded by the disappearance of his firearm, which he says was also missing when he returned home from Nairobi, where he had travelled for medical treatment.
Ex-Presidential escort officer and farmer in Trans Nzoia Michael Kimutai during an interview with the Nation at his home on Sunday, September 20, 2026.
Photo credit: Evans Jaola| Nation Media Group
In a desperate bid to find his wife and recover the weapon, Mr Kimutai has now offered a Sh200,000 reward to anyone who provides credible information to the police that could help establish her whereabouts and lead to the recovery of the firearm.
Former presidential guard offers Sh200,000 reward to find missing wife
Meanwhile, police have reported a new development. On Wednesday, Trans Nzoia County Police Commander Riko Ngare said detectives had recovered Ms Cherono's mobile phone and arrested two suspects.
"We have two suspects who are helping us with the investigations. We have the mobile handset belonging to Ms Cherono. Our officers are pursuing leads to find her and the missing rifle," Mr Ngare told the Nation.
He said detectives were following critical leads in an effort to establish what happened to Ms Cherono and recover the missing firearm.
Speaking to the Nation at his home on Wednesday, the visibly distressed husband made frantic calls in the hope of news that could end the family's ordeal.
"As a family, it has been a really traumatising moment for me and my children. It is serious mental torture. You can see I am sick and weak. I do not sleep at night," he said.
Mr Kimutai, who served as a presidential escort officer during the late President Daniel arap Moi's administration, said his two children had returned from abroad to help search for their mother but were eventually forced to resume work without finding her.
"It has been tremendous torture for me and my children. They came from abroad to check on their mother, but we are yet to find her. It has not been easy because I have no peace," he said.
Detectives collecting evidence at the house where Lily Cherono Kimtai, 53, wife of Michael Kimtai, went missing on the evening of September 9, 2026.
Photo credit: Evans Jaola| Nation Media Group
The prolonged uncertainty has also left him fearful for his own safety, particularly because the firearm remains missing.
"I am also living in fear because I do not know what happened to my wife. Was she abducted? And if so, my fear is whether those who took my gun are after me," he said.
Ms Cherono went missing on the evening of September 9 while at home alone. Her disappearance, which remains unexplained, is the subject of investigations by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
According to Mr Kimutai, he had left his wife at home several days earlier when he travelled to Nairobi for a medical check-up. He said he was puzzled by a text message she sent him at about 7.30pm on September 9, informing him that she intended to travel to Mombasa the following day. It was unusual, he said, for his wife to announce such a trip without explaining its purpose.
After sending the message, her phone went off and remained unreachable, leaving the family struggling to establish where she went or what happened to her.
A farm worker at the homestead said she became concerned when Ms Cherono failed to make her usual visit to the farm. The worker told Nation on September 20 that Mr Kimutai had called her the following morning and asked her to check on his wife.
"When my boss called me to check on his wife, I went and found the house locked. That particular morning, she had not come to check on us at the farm as usual. We did not know where she had gone, and to date, we still do not know," the worker said.
Mr Kimutai said he had repeatedly tried calling his wife without success before travelling back home, where he discovered that she was missing.
"When I came from Nairobi, I found the house locked. She had not informed me where she had left the keys, even if she had travelled to Mombasa. So we broke in and found her missing, but everything was intact in the house," he said in an earlier interview on September 20.
Her personal belongings, including her national identity card, bank cards and other documents, were found in one of the rooms. Preliminary investigations indicated that there were no obvious signs of a struggle or forced entry into the house, deepening the mystery surrounding her disappearance.
Before she went missing, Ms Cherono had recently reunited with her husband after moving from her parents' home. Her sudden announcement that she intended to travel to Mombasa has since become one of the details investigators are seeking to understand.
"We have looked for her everywhere, in the farm and even among our relatives, but in vain. I do not know the motive behind this incident," he said.
On September 20, a team of detectives visited the homestead to gather evidence, question household workers and collect possible exhibits. Officers were also seen examining possible leads as investigations intensified.
"I have lived with my wife for 34 years, and all this time I have had my gun. I do not know if she was abducted or hijacked here at home, but I could not find my rifle and its safe," he said.
Mr Kimutai, who is under medical observation after suffering a stroke, said the incident had revived fears stemming from an attack by a gang at his Kitale home about 10 years ago. He said he had recently relocated from Kitale town to his new home to concentrate on his farming business and could not establish whether the latest incident was connected to him or his wife.
"I had just moved to this home not long ago, and I do not know if any enemy was either after me or her. We are banking on the police to find her and the missing rifle," he said.
He reported the matter to the police after his efforts to trace his wife failed. A police report dated September 16, referenced OB/17/16/09/2026, indicates that the matter was reported at Kachibora Police Station as a missing person and firearm case.
On September 20, Trans Nzoia County Criminal Investigations Officer Josphat Ndung'u confirmed that detectives were investigating possible criminal elements in the incident.
"Yes, I am aware of the incident, and officers are investigating elements of criminality in the reported incident," he said.
