DCI tells court six KWS rangers directly linked to abduction of missing fisherman

A DCI detective has told court that missing fisherman Brian Odhiambo was abducted by six Kenya Wildlife Officers (KWS) on January 18, 2025.

The officer who is involved in the investigations said the officers abducted Mr Odhiambo on the said day near Lake Nakuru National Park with the intent to confine him.

For the second day on Wednesday, Chief Inspector Julius Muhuri told Nakuru Senior Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibelion that he started his investigations on January 20, after a missing person’s report was made by Odhiambo’s wife, Alvy Okello.

He told the court that his investigation proved that KWS’s Senior Sergeant Francis Wachira led the team of rangers Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Ochieng, Michael Wabukala, Evans Kimaiyo and Abdulrahaman Sudi to arrest Odhiambo in the Manyani area, Nakuru City.

“The KWS security team was conducting a crackdown in the Vietnam area over illegal fishing and trespass inside Lake Nakuru National Park,” said Muhuri, adding, “A team led by Wachira was dispatched to carry out the operations and arrested 10 people, including Odhiambo.”

The officer in his statement said six out of 14 people who testified in the case witnessed Odhiambo being accosted by the KWS rangers after he trespassed the park.

He said that three of them, including a neighbour, Agnes Achieng, Odhiambo’s brother Carlos Otieno and his mother Elizabeth Auma, saw the rangers assaulting him before he was taken away.

“Achieng saw four rangers beating up Odhiambo, and she identified him. Otieno and Auma saw the rangers dragging Odhiambo to their vehicle inside the park. Their accounts were consistent and corroborated each other,” he said.

He said that other fishermen, Dennis Juma and Michael Rono, who knew Odhiambo had also testified of seeing Odhiambo lying unconscious in one of the ranger’s vehicle.

According to them, based on the ranger’s reaction and gestures, they believed that Mr Odhiambo might have been killed.

According to Muhuri, KWS provided them with the details of the officers who were on duty when Odhiambo was allegedly abducted, and they summoned them to record their statements.

He provided data from Safaricom, showing that the mobile phone Odhiambo was using was in proximity to the rangers’ phone, between 10am and 11am, on the day of the incident.

Muhuri said that Wachira, in his statement, admitted that he was in charge of the team and they pursued a suspect and arrested him at the Sewage area at around 10 am.

“Wachira said that two rangers, Ochieng and Lorogoi, alighted from the vehicle and pursued the suspect. They were joined by Wabukala and Kimaiyo, who helped arrest the suspect,” he testified.

He said he was informed that they drove back to the sewage area where they transferred the suspect, who was restrained using a nylon rope, to Sudi’s vehicle and left him to guard the suspect as the other rangers pursued other suspects.

He, however, poked holes in Sudi’s statement, where he said that he drove the car while the suspect was at the back before he escaped when he asked to relieve himself, some kilometres inside the park.

“First, it was improper for the rangers to leave the suspect with the driver alone to guard him, unless the suspect was in no condition to escape,” testified Muhuri.

Muhuri said Sudi did not explain what he was doing with the suspect for over three hours (between 11am and 1pm), despite their offices being close.

Further, the detective said the rangers never booked on their OB, an escape by the suspect nor did they report to Bondeni Police station, when they took nine other suspects as required by law.

Muhuri said the allegations that the suspect escaped were not proven, as no one saw him escape, and no report was made.

He said that despite Sudi claiming that Odhiambo escaped at around 1pm, the two fishermen saw him in his car after 2pm.

He also provided testimony by a former in charge of the park, David Oyugi, who testified in a petition that they never recorded in their OB that a suspect escaped.

Muhuri denounced a KWS’s OB extract where it was recorded that a suspect escaped, saying the same was recorded at the Remarks column instead of the Nature of Occurrence section.

According to him, the same also contrasted with Oyugi’s testimony.

“We concluded that the remarks were an afterthought because any occurrence must be recorded at the occurrence section. The said remarks were also made after the OB was checked, proving that the same was improper,” testified Muhuri.

Upon conclusion of the investigation, Muhuri said he charged the six with abduction to confine Odhiambo, who was last seen with them.

“As duty officers, they had to account for the arrested person and ensure he was either charged or released. Even though they claimed he escaped, we have no other missing person’s report from the park,” he said.

In cross-examination, the detective said it was improper for the rangers to tie Odhiambo with a nylon rope, and they did not present the rope to the police as an exhibit.

He confirmed that Sudi’s role was only to drive the vehicle and not to guard the suspect, and the same was mischievous and suspicious.

Amid investigations, Muhuri said that the KWS has been frustrating and delaying investigations, including site visits, by not giving them timely access or information upon request.

“When we asked for access, it took about four days, and the same delayed the investigations,” he said.

He concluded that the testimonies of the rangers and their boss were inconsistent, and those of the family, fishermen and other witnesses were clear.

However, he admitted that the data on the phone they collected belonged to Odhiambo’s wife, Okello, but stated that she was not at the scene, and she said her SIM card was in his phone.

Despite witnesses saying they saw a different number of rangers, Muhuri testified that a report showed that in the operation, there were at least 16 rangers.

“Investigations will continue until we find Odhiambo, whom we still believe is under the custody of the six rangers. They ought to tell us where he is or produce him dead or alive,” testified Muhuri.

The prosecution closed the case with Muhuri’s testimony.

The case will be mentioned on February 16, 2026, to confirm the filing of submissions.