A routine work training trip to Eldoret ended in tragedy for 44-year-old Laban Ekidor Ekure, a government officer in Kapenguria, West Pokot County, whose tortured body was discovered days after he went missing.
The events surrounding his disappearance and death have raised queries about possible foul play.
Ekure, a Supply Chain Management officer in the Department of Internal Security and National Administration at the West Pokot County Commissioner’s office, had traveled to Eldoret on January 27 for official training at Starbucks Hotel.
Later, he was found unconscious at Kisumu Ndogo area in the low-income Langas estate. He was taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) Mortuary and initially recorded as an unidentified person.
Meanwhile, his family was still waiting to hear from him. According to Ekure’s brother Benedict, the family raised alarm when he remained unreachable for more than five days.
“On January 26, Laban told us he would be at training until January 28. He promised to send money home the next day but by 5.30pm, no one could reach him,” he said.
His widow, Laurencia Abura, said she was alarmed when she reached out to his colleagues and they said they said they had not seen him.
“I could not get him on the phone and no one at the training knew where he was. That’s when I realised something was wrong,” she said.
A portrait of the late Laban Ekidor Ekure is carried by his widow Laurencia Ekure.
Photo credit: Sammy Lutta | Nation Media Group
The family launched a search starting at his Kapenguria office but say they got "little cooperation". The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed that Ekure’s phone was switched off at 5.27pm on January 27, the day he travelled for training.
“He always had his wallet on him, but it was found at the hotel room. His phone was missing. His body was found brutalised in Kisumu Ndogo...a postmortem revealed torture,” Abura said.
At Langas Police Station, the family learned that officers had retrieved him from Langas around 3am on January 28 but they were not informed.
“It's unclear why those who were with him did not report his disappearance or inform the family,” Benedict said.
The police indicate in their report that he was found lying unconscious at Kisumu Ndogo with visible injuries. He was taken to MTRH for treatment where he succumbed to injuries.
"He was found at Kisumu Ndogo while unconscious with multiple injuries. He was taken to MTRH for treatment where he succumbed," a police report detailing the incident says.
In his autopsy report, the pathologist indicates that the cause of death is "severe subcutaneous hemorrhage due to assault". His physical appearance was described as having lacerations on the forehead with exposed bone, as well as bruises and multiple abrasions on his body.
The grave of the late Laban Ekidor Ekure at his home in Loborot village on the outskirts of Lodwar Town, Turkana Central Sub-County, on February 21, 2026.
Photo credit: Sammy Lutta | Nation Media Group
It has emerged that Ekure had previously reported threats from a female colleague at his Kapenguria office. According to another brother. David Lopem, he had escalated workplace conflicts to the Public Service Commission and filed complaints with the police.
“My brother’s life had been in danger. He may have been trailed, kidnapped and killed to settle scores at work. We are calling for an independent inquiry,” Lopem alleges.
Efforts by police to retrieve CCTV footage from Starbucks Hotel have been unsuccessful, with management stating that recordings from that period had already been overwritten.
Ms Abura said her husband had been planning a permanent home and a business to support her and their four children, aged between two to ten years.
“I don’t have answers, I don’t have justice and I cannot afford a lawyer. All I want is to know who killed my husband,” she said.
The family has appealed to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to intervene, citing lack of commitment from the West Pokot County Commissioner’s office.
A condolence message signed by County Commissioner David Saruni has unsettled the family. It indicated January 29 as the date of death, which conflicts with the initial timeline given to the family by police in Langas as they had indicated that his body was brought to the mortuary on January 28. The statement focusses on Ekure’s professional profile but makes no mention of the puzzling circumstances of his death.
A condolence message by County Commissioner David Saruni.
Photo credit: Pool
When the Nation reached out to the County Commissioner for comment, he said the case is being investigated by the DCI.
West Pokot County Commissioner David Saruni told nation on phone that circumstances surrounding the death of Laban at Kisumu Ndogo in Langas were being investigated by Directorate of Criminal Investigation.
"Where Ekure went after training is an area with increased insecurity. At the moment we have nothing to link any of his colleagues to the death until investigations are concluded by DCIO in Eldoret. Let us stop speculation at this stage," he said, adding that he has no knowledge of any job-related issues he may have had.
“The facts are murky, the timelines inconsistent and too many questions remain. We demand answers and we demand justice,” Benedict said.
