KWS ordered to produce missing man

A judge has directed the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to produce a missing man in court.

Justice Fred Ochieng summoned the institution’s company secretary to appear before him on September 22 to explain the whereabouts of the man arrested over poaching on August 15.

Earlier, KWS’s lawyers Martin Mithega and Emmah Bosire had a hard time explaining to the judge where Mr Abdullahi Aden, 54, was.

The judge threatened to jail them for not presenting Mr Aden to court as promised on Monday. However, he freed them on Sh100,000 bond each.

Ms Bosire had promised the court that KWS would produce Mr Aden in court on Tuesday.

But when they turned up, they sought fresh orders clarifying that the suspect was freed after arrest.

The court also rejected the lawyers’ request for more time to file a statement of the KWS officer who arrested Mr Aden.

The judge said their narrative was not coherent and had many missing links.

He asked how KWS could have detained the suspect when it did not have the powers to.

“I want that suspect (produced in court) dead or alive,” he ordered.

Mr Aden’s family believe that KWS was either illegally holding him or had killed him and disposed of his body.

They successfully sought orders compelling KWS to explain where he was.

Court documents show that KWS officers arrested him on August 15.

He is alleged to have called his lawyer, alerting him of the arrest the same day. That was the last time he was heard from.

According to KWS investigator Ignatius Ipapo, they raided the suspect’s home on suspicion he was planning to attack Olgoji ranch to kill rhinos.

He said the suspect was taken to Nanyuki Police Station for interrogation by a Mr Tanui from the Aberdare National Park and was released in the evening for lack of evidence.