For twenty years, Thomas Kipkorir Kirui, has been missing and his family members have searched for him in all possible places without success.
Kirui, a resident of Suswondo village in Kitoben location, Singorwet ward of Bomet Central constituency in Bomet county, was last seen by his elder brother in November 2006, at Irongo area in Kuresoi South constituency, Nakuru county.
The family members have searched for him in police stations, prisons, hospitals and mortuaries whenever an announcement is made for a planned mass burial, in vain.
“We have searched for him in all the places we thought we could find him, often following false leads, but my younger brother seems to have disappeared without a trace at least not by now” Benard Kirui, the elder brother to the missing man, said.
Mr Kirui said in an interview on Monday that the family has not given up in the search and has put up posters in trading centres where he had worked or had been spotted previously, including Kiptagich and Irongo in Kuresoi, Nakuru county, in the hope they will get leads that enable them reconnect with his lost brother.
“I last met my brother at Irongo in Kuresoi in November 2006, at Irongo in Kuresoi, Nakuru county as I headed home (Bomet) from Mauche in Njoro constituency. He promised to come home, but we have not seen nor heard from him since then,” Mr Kirui said.
The family of Thomas Kipkorir Kirui, a man who has been missing for the last 20 years, (from left) Peter Kirui (brother), Sally Ngerechi Ngerechi (mother), Dennis Kipngetich Kirui (brother) and Gideon Kipkoech Kirui (brother) at Suswondo village in Kiromwok village, Bomet Central Constituency on September 18, 2026
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation
He added “No one, not even his friends seems to have any information on where he might have gone to or what might have befallen him”
Thomas did not have a mobile phone at the time, thus the lack of communication between him and the immediate family members, in what has complicated the search that has taken two decades.
The family has involved the police, administrators, the clergy, village elders and business community, both in Boemt and Nakuru counties, but it has not borne any positive fruits so far.
Ms Sally Ngerechi, the mother to the missing man said she has been subjected to a lot of psychological torture as a result of the lack of communication with her son whom she does not know whether he is alive or dead.
“He went to Kuresoi South where he worked at a hotel in Kiptagich trading centre, but he disappeared around 2007 and has never been seen to date. We have no idea where he is,” Ms Ngerechi said.
Ms Ngerechi said “We have done all we could, we have used all the resources we had in searching for him over the years, but we have not given up. We will not give up until we find him”
She said that Thomas is her fourth born son and that her husband Paul Ngerechi is the most affected and has been unwell for some time as a result, having searched for their son for years in vain.
Ms Ngerechi expressed fear that her son might have been killed in the 2007/2008 post-election violence that rocked parts of the country, with over 1,000 people having lost their lives and tens of thousands injured.
“We have been trying to establish whether Thomas was among those who were killed in the post-election violence in Nakuru county, but no information has been forthcoming as those who worked with him previously have said they do not know where he went to” Ms Ngerechi said.
A photo of Thomas Kipkorir Kirui, a man who has been missing for the last 20 years.
Photo credit: Pool
The grandmother, while relieving her pain, appealed to whoever might be having information on his whereabouts to volunteer it to the family that is searching for their loved one in the hope they will one day re-unite and put the matter to a close.
She said “We have been praying to God over the years to re-unite us with our son, to bring him home or lead us to where he is so that we can put this matter to rest. We will continue praying and asking for support from all in the search. I am confident that our prayers will be answered.
The family has also enlisted the support of immediate and distant relatives in the search for their loved one, but they have not received any positive feedback for the last 20 years, in what has led to despair among them.
