Government to hold Nakuru KWS officers accountable for missing fisherman Brian Odhiambo

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced that Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers stationed at the Lake Nakuru National Park will be held accountable for the disappearance of fisherman Brian Odhiambo, amid claims that his body is being held within the park’s precincts.

Speaking on Wednesday during the launch of the national mobile registration outreach programme in Nakuru West, Murkomen was compelled to address the issue after Odhiambo’s mother, Elizabeth Auma, interrupted his speech.

The CS was addressing residents in the Shabab settlement when Auma stormed the podium. A security officer attempted to block her, but amid shouts from the crowd, Murkomen intervened and instructed the officer to allow her through.

“Just come,” Murkomen said before assisting Auma onto the podium.

Auma then whispered something to the CSr as the crowd continued shouting. Following the brief exchange, Murkomen directed her to take a seat at the VIP dais, where the county commissioner received her.

“I will address the matter right now. Sorry, Mama (Auma),” he assured her.

After concluding his speech, Murkomen confirmed that Auma was the mother of Brian Odhiambo, the fisherman who has been missing for months since he was reportedly arrested by KWS officers at Lake Nakuru on January 18.

Investigations ongoing

He assured her that investigations by the police were ongoing and nearing completion, vowing that those found responsible would face legal consequences.

“All the officers that were involved will be taken to court and lose their jobs. There are other Kenyans who disappeared like Brian. It was Brian’s mother who just spoke to me. I want to tell you that I am in solidarity with you, and we will do everything possible to hold those KWS officers who arrested your son to account until they tell us where Brian is,” Murkomen said.

“This is a message directly from the government. Brian did not wrong us in any way that he could just disappear. Even if he had wronged us, he was supposed to be arrested, taken to the police station and charged in court. As your Interior CS, we will not tolerate situations where any Kenyan can just disappear without being accounted for.”

He further promised to issue an official statement on Odhiambo’s disappearance within a week, provided the investigations are concluded by then.

Murkomen added that the investigations had uncovered a criminal syndicate protected by KWS officers and suggested that Odhiambo’s disappearance might be linked to it.

“We have seen that a few KWS officers are involved in the illegal business of controlling fish sales at Lake Nakuru. When they see other citizens coming to fish in the lake, they beat them because they are not part of their network,” Murkomen said.

Fish not safe for humans

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“A determination has been made that the fish in Lake Nakuru is not safe for human consumption. Their job was to prevent Kenyans from fishing in the lake, but instead, they have chosen to protect illegal businesses.”

Since his disappearance in January, Odhiambo’s case has been riddled with twists and turns, including the arrest of officers suspected to have been involved in his illegal detention.

However, the case against the officers was dismissed by a Nakuru court on February 6 after the officer who had reportedly arrested him claimed that he escaped while in custody.

A body suspected to be his was also recovered from the lake but was later confirmed not to be him.

Just a few days ago, his mother, wife and brother were detained for a few hours outside the KWS gates at Lake Nakuru while seeking answers on his disappearance. They were later released.

Odhiambo’s family has continued to demand justice for their missing son amid the challenges.