A father in Kayole, Nairobi County, is in distress after his son, a Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) candidate, disappeared from home on September 22.
In an interview with NTV, James Ouma explained that a dispute had ensued from allegations that his son, Hemstone Omondi, had stolen Ksh 300 from the neighbour.
"I told him to return the money to the neighbour if he had taken it. He confessed to taking the money, but said the money was somewhere else. He left to go get the money, but has never returned home.
"Two days passed without him returning home, and that's when I reported the matter to Kayole police station. Since then I have not heard any news of his whereabouts," said Ouma.
The father of four expressed his desire to see his son coming back home and recalled how the son had promised to buy him a car once he got his first job.
According to a 2019 report by the National Crime and Research Centre, Kenya was ranked 17 out of 19 on the list of countries where missing child cases are rampant.
Close to 30 cases of missing children are reported every day in Kenya as families battle with thoughts of whether their loved ones are alive or dead.
According to the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, eight million children go missing annually which translates to nearly 22,000 children every day around the world.
Parents are constantly advised to keep checking on the whereabouts of their children even when in the hands of persons entrusted with their care during their absence.
Children have been known to disappear on their way to or from school, from playgrounds in their neighbourhoods, on their way to or from the local shop and even from their homes.
