Police Investigator Links KWS Rangers to Planned Abduction of Fisherman

A Nakuru court has heard allegations that six Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers planned and carried out the abduction of fisherman Brian Odhiambo, who disappeared in January this year.

Chief Inspector Julius Muhui, the lead investigator, told Senior Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibellion that evidence collected contradicts the rangers’ account that Mr Odhiambo escaped from custody. He said the officers, led by Senior Sergeant Francis Wachira, unlawfully detained the fisherman after arresting him near Lake Nakuru National Park, assaulted him, and forced him into a waiting vehicle in broad daylight.

The case stems from events on 18 January 2025, when Mr Odhiambo was arrested at Manyani, an area bordering the park, during a KWS operation against illegal fishing. Nine other suspects were officially booked at Bondeni Police Station, but records show Mr Odhiambo’s name was missing from the Occurrence Book, an omission investigators described as a key sign of possible misconduct.

According to police findings, Mr Odhiambo was transferred between two KWS vehicles after his arrest. Statements from the officers indicate he was later placed under the supervision of ranger Abdulrahman Sudi, who claimed the fisherman asked to relieve himself, overpowered him, and ran into the park.

Chief Inspector Muhui rejected this explanation, noting that no official record of the alleged escape was entered in the Occurrence Book, as required by procedure. He said only a brief, unclear remark was added later, which appeared to have been inserted after the fact.

The court heard that Sergeant Wachira directed the transfer of Mr Odhiambo between vehicles, a move investigators believe was part of a coordinated plan to conceal his disappearance.

“From our investigations, we established that Francis Wachira took part in assisting the disappearance and abduction of Brian Odhiambo with other officers who collaborated and executed the abduction,” Mr Muhui testified.

Family members, including Mr Odhiambo’s wife, Alvy Okello, and brother, Carlos Otieno, have attended court sessions and accompanied investigators to the Manyani site where he was last seen. The six accused officers-Wachira, Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Ochieng, Michael Wabukala, Evans Kimaiyo, and Abdulrahman Sudi-are facing charges of abduction.

The court has already visited the scene to reconstruct the events surrounding the fisherman’s disappearance.