Kenyan Man Missing for More Than a Decade Confirms He Is Alive in New Zealand

John Kibet Lagat has confirmed that he is alive and living in New Zealand, ending more than a decade of uncertainty for his family in Kenya.

Kibet contacted this publication after a story was published about his relatives’ efforts to trace him. He said he was never missing and described the situation as a misunderstanding that had resulted in years of silence between him and his family.

His sisters, Nancy Barngetuny and Mary, had appealed for help after losing contact with him around 2013. Their concern grew as attempts to reach him through friends, former classmates and community networks in Australia produced no information about his whereabouts.

Kibet had travelled to Sydney in 2010 to pursue a Diploma in Communication. However, communication with his family stopped several years later, leaving his relatives unsure about his welfare.

The prolonged absence of contact led his sisters to seek assistance from Kenyans abroad and local authorities. They had spent years trying to establish whether Kibet was safe and find a way to reach him.

Kibet’s direct confirmation has now provided the reassurance his family had been seeking. He clarified that he was safe and that his lack of communication was not the result of a disappearance.