In Langas Estate, Eldoret, a wave of anguish and uncertainty grips parents as 32 children have vanished without a trace over the past three months, leaving families distraught and communities on edge.
Eunice Akinyi, a distressed mother whose one-year-old daughter, Witney Awour, disappeared on March 3, 2024, recounted the chilling events leading to her daughter's disappearance.
According to Akinyi, Witney was playing with other children near their estate gate in the Kambi Nyoka area when an unfamiliar woman approached. Promising sweets, the stranger lured Witney away under the guise of asking for directions to Eldoret town.
Since that moment, neither Witney nor the mysterious woman has been seen again.
Another parent, Josephine Ongachi, shared her harrowing experience of her daughter Elizabeth's sudden disappearance.
Elizabeth had been sent to a nearby shop for groceries and had returned promptly. However, when Ongachi called for her daughter later, Elizabeth was nowhere to be found.
Jaspher Achieng, whose daughter Joyline Imali has been missing for three months, expressed her frustration with the lack of progress in locating her child. Achieng revealed the emotional toll the ordeal has taken on her family, with her husband unable to work and her other children struggling in school.
She lamented the dismissive attitude she encountered when seeking help from the authorities, including an alarming instance of alleged sexual harassment from a police officer to whom she had turned for assistance.
The anguish extends beyond Eldoret, as highlighted by a recent incident in Nakuru County. Caroline Kipnaigei, whose 20-month-old child was taken by a maid, described the agonising moments when she realised both the maid and her child were missing.
Despite efforts to locate them, they were found miles away, triggering further questions about the circumstances of their disappearance.
The unsettling trend of child disappearances has raised concerns among residents, who fear for the safety of their loved ones.
Josephine Mwihaki, grandmother to Esther Mwihaki, recounted the chilling moment when her granddaughter vanished without a trace, leaving the family grappling with uncertainty and despair.
Authorities have acknowledged the alarming frequency of child abductions, with an estimated 6,000 children reported missing annually, equating to 18 children disappearing each day.
The gravity of such crimes is underscored by legal statutes such as Section 174 (1) (b) of the penal code, which deems child theft a felony punishable by imprisonment for up to seven years.
