Lamu families agonize over missing kinsmen years later

Many families in Lamu County have for years now been left agonizing over the mysterious disappearances of their Kinsmen.

The Eastleigh Voice has established that despite the families having come out on many occasions to urge the state to help them trace their missing people, nothing has been done so far.

The situation has left these families with unanswered questions lingering in their minds and giving them sleepless nights.

Among such questions is whether the individuals are in the hands of security agencies or the enemy Al-Shabaab.

Are they safe, alive or dead..?...And if alive, where are they? Are they in the country or have they crossed to Somalia to join Al-Shabaab?

Among the oldest incidents of missing persons recorded in Lamu several years ago and where families are still left in the dark concerning the whereabouts of their kinsmen is that of 50-year-old Ali Bunu.

Bunu, an estate owner at Kwasasi in the Hindi Division, was picked up by unknown people using police and military vehicles within his homestead on April 8, 2016.

Family members interviewed said they have made all efforts to trace their kin, including visiting all police stations in Lamu, Mokowe, Hindi, Mpeketoni, Witu, Kizingitini, Faza and even Kiunga border but have not traced him.

Majid Hobeni, Ali Bunu's brother, said they have even made several attempts to inquire about their brother's whereabouts at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Lamu offices, but no information has been provided on him.

Ali Hobeni Bunu, 50, a resident of Kwasasi Village in Hindi, Lamu West. He went missing in April 2016. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

Eyewitnesses by then said Bunu was arrested at his farm at around 7.30 pm.

Two police Land Cruiser vehicles and a military lorry came to the home of Bunu before forcing him to board one of the vehicles.

Before he was taken away, the captors torched the farmhouse and went away with Mr Bunu.

Since then, his whereabouts have remained unknown.

The family is still appealing to the government that as 2025 approaches, an answer about Bunu’s whereabouts is unveiled.

“My brother was too polite to be involved in anything unlawful. He was a committed family man, being a father of nine. My brother was a diligent and polite man. The government should come out to assist in finding where exactly my brother is,” said Hobeni.

In Mkunumbi village in Lamu West, another family is also perturbed about their son’s whereabouts.

The family of Makka Mzee has been in the dark for the past ten years since their son, 29-year-old Imrana Said Makka, went missing on March 31, 2015.

Makka is said to have been abducted by three men who identified themselves as anti-terror police officers in Malindi Town.

Imrana Said Makka, 29 who went missing in March 2015. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

His sister Sada Said Makka says since then, they have never been able to spot, contact or even hear any news concerning her brother who left behind three children.

Sada said despite making all efforts, including visiting various police stations in Lamu, Malindi and Mombasa for enquiries, nothing has materialized so far.

But she hopes against hope that the New Year 2025 will provide all the answers regarding Imrana’s whereabouts.

“It’s almost ten years now since my brother Imrana went missing. I hope that as we begin 2025, someone will tell us something about my brother’s whereabouts. Let someone tell us something about Imrana, whether positive or negative. We will appreciate it,” said Sada.

In Witu Town, yet another family is in agony over the disappearance of 32-year-old Mohamed Abdalla Ali.

Ali went missing on the night of June 14, 2018.

He had accompanied his friends to watch a World Cup match in one of the hotels in Witu.

The last-born in a family of five had completed his secondary education at Witu secondary and was yet to join college.

His father, Abdalla Basalama, is a retired senior sergeant who worked as an Administration Police officer.

The family says they have since searched for him without success.

“We’ve visited all police stations but we haven’t traced Ali. We’re appealing to the police and any other security agencies to help my family track down the whereabouts of Ali, whether alive or dead,” said one of the relatives who requested to remain anonymous for fear of frustrations from security agencies.

The family of 43-year-old Mohamed Avukame Haroun is also yet to come to terms with his mysterious disappearance on August 23, 2017.

Mohamed Avukame Haroun who went missing in August 2017. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

Haroun, a Malindi businessman dealing in property management and land, was taken away by men in a black Toyota Prado to an unknown destination.

His elder brother, Bwanaheri Avukame Haroun, says the father of two was bundled into a car by two armed men who accosted him within the precincts of the Mombasa High Court.

The family insists those who took their kin were police officers since they had handcuffs and were armed with pistols.

“They roughed him up, bundled him into the car and drove away. Since then, my brother has never been seen. His phone has also not been going through. I pray that 2025 will be the year when we trace our brother’s whereabouts,” said Bwanaheri.

In Mpeketoni, Lamu West, the family of Mr Osman Abdi, 35, is also in the dark after he went missing in unclear circumstances days after the June 15, 2014, Mpeketoni attack.

Abdi, a milk vendor, is said to have been arrested by police but until now his whereabouts are yet to be established.

In Kiunga village, on the border of Lamu and Somalia, another family is in agony over the mysterious disappearance of their kin since September 2018.

Ahmed Athman Bilel, 40, a renowned fisherman in Lamu East, went missing shortly after he left Kiunga for a fishing expedition in Ishakani on a motorbike but never reached his destination.

His phone has also been switched off ever since.

Ahmed Athman Bilel, 40, a fisherman in Kiunga who went missing in September 2018. (Photo: Farhiya Hussein)

Haki Africa has on various occasions come out condemning mysterious disappearances among citizens in Lamu, the Coast and Kenya as a whole.

In 2018, for instance, Haki Africa listed Lamu among the counties in the Coast region with many cases of persons who disappeared mysteriously.

Former Haki Africa Director Hussein Khalid has on various occasions come out to appeal to the government to come clean and explain where the missing persons are and help the affected families find them.

“The government is the key protector of its citizens. It should therefore come clean and explain where these people are. These families should also be assisted in tracing their people whether alive or dead,” said Khalid.