The Nakuru Law Courts on Thursday, February 6, declined to issue further orders in the case involving the alleged disappearance of Brian Odhiambo at the hands of Kenya Wildlife Service officers.
In his ruling, Justice Julius Nangea ruled that there was no evidence that Brian Odhiambo was in the custody of KWS officers. The ruling left his mother, Elizabeth Auma, distraught as she broke down in court and fell to her knees.
The public believes that Odhiambo, a local fisherman, reportedly disappeared at the hands of KWS officers on January 18 after they caught him fishing in a restricted area at the Lake Nakuru National Park.
Since then, Odhiambo’s disappearance triggered demonstrations with angry youth storming the Lake Nakuru National Park, blocking the road leading to the park while demanding Odhiambo’s release.
The crowd lit bonfires and placed stones on the road effectively blocking access to the park which attracts hundreds of tourists daily.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) later arrested six KWS officers implicated in Brian’s disappearance.
For their part, KWS acknowledged the arrest of a man who they claim was conducting illegal fishing in the Sewage area of Lake Nakuru National Park but did not record his name.
However, in a twist to the saga, one of the KWS officers mandated to guard the man believed to be Brian claimed the arrested man escaped while in custody.
The officer, later identified as Abdulrahman Sudi, detailed Odhiambo’s escape in his affidavit presented before the court stating that the arrested man requested to relieve himself while in custody. The ranger revealed that it was when he honoured his request that suspect escaped.
Sudi claimed that he made attempts to apprehend the man who turned out to be Brian Odhiambo but he managed to slip away from his fingers.
The ranger, who works as a driver, dismissed the allegations that Brian was assaulted or injured while in their custody.
Odhiambo’s disappearance has brought immense grief to his family as his mother and wife have gone on record pleading with the relevant authorities to secure the release of their kin. The fisherman, who has now been missing for over two weeks, has left his family, human rights organization and Kenyans fearing for the worst as uncertainty builds up over whether he is dead or alive.
