On the morning of June 10, Mr Joseph Mwaura, 56, bid his wife goodbye and left for work just like he had done for years.
But that routine Monday turned into a nightmare for his family when the longtime Thika-based law clerk vanished without a trace and has not been seen or heard from since.
Mr Mwaura, who hails from Makuyu in Murang’a County, was last seen at his workplace in Thika town.
According to his colleagues, he reported to work that morning as usual and was scheduled to attend to a legal matter at Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi.
However, he never arrived there and his family says they are unaware of the details of the assignment.
“He was in Thika the day he disappeared. Colleagues saw him at the office but he was supposed to go to Nairobi. We wouldn’t know the details of the case,” said Mr Mwaura’s daughter Evelyn Wanjiku in an interview.
Ms Wanjiku says her father called his wife, Jane Mwaura, a few minutes past 9am that day and informed her he had arrived at work.
“He never sounded troubled. They discussed home affairs until the next day when he didn’t come home and we started getting worried,” she said.
Never mentioned any threats
Police investigating the case told the Daily Nation that cell tower triangulation and carrier data placed Mr Mwaura’s last known location in Section 9, Thika, less than two kilometres from the town centre. This has been corroborated by the family.
A missing person report was filed on June 13, three days after his disappearance.
The family says Mr Mwaura had not expressed fear for his life or shown signs of being under any pressure.
“My father never mentioned any threats. The fact that he vanished within Thika and has not been seen since is deeply troubling. His phone has been off and was last located at the office. We are appealing to anyone with information to come forward. We also urge the police to hasten the investigations,” said Ms Wanjiku.
So far, no person of interest has been summoned by the police and there have been no leads on Mr Mwaura’s whereabouts.
The family has checked General Kago Funeral Home, Thika Level 5 Hospital and other hospitals in Kiambu without success.
“Our next stop is Nairobi Funeral Home (City Mortuary). It’s heartbreaking but we must look everywhere. My father had no quarrels with anyone. The fact that his phone signal never left Thika that day makes this even more puzzling,” Ms Wanjiku added.
Police investigations are ongoing. The family is urging the public to help with any information that might assist in tracing Mr Mwaura.
