Fear of trafficking in Kilgoris as cases of missing children rise

Parents in Kilgoris, Narok County are worried that there could be a rise in child trafficking following the disappearance of several children without trace.

Every time Ms Agnes Wanjiru stares at the picture of her two-and-a half-year-old son she cries.

Young Precious Buchiri Kababa mysteriously disappeared from their home in Majengo estate, Kilgoris Town, a month ago and all efforts to look for him have not borne any fruit.

Ms Wanjiru, however, remains optimistic that she will one day be reunited with her son.

But in the meantime, the picture of her smiling son really haunts her.

MOTHER SEEKS ANSWERS

“Who took him and where did they go. Is my son safe? Is he dead? We want answers,” she says amidst sobs.

Ms Wanjiru says the last time they saw little boy, he was in a good mood, laughing and playing at their neighbour’s compound.

“All of sudden he went missing. A search party was quickly organised and we went all over looking for him in vain,” she told the Nation in an interview.

“We are really disturbed. We don’t know where he is or who took him. As of now, I do not know whether he is alive or dead,” she went on.

She said law enforcement officers from Kilgoris Police Station have not helped much.

“But we have not given up on the search. We are optimistic that one day we will be re-united,” she added.

She said the boy’s caretaker, Ms Delishoi Nkakenya, has denied knowing of his whereabouts despite having earlier on confessed that she had sent the boy and her son to get milk from her (Nkakenya’s) mother.

“We are seeking justice for our lost child. A child cannot just disappear without anybody knowing where he went,” she said.

FEAR OF TRAFFICKING SYNDICATE

Parents in the area now living in fear, saying there could be a child trafficking syndicate in the region.

They appealed to law enforcement officers to intervene.

Three weeks ago, Ms Joyce Mwangi, another resident of Kilgoris Town, suffered a similar predicament. This was after her two-year-old son went missing for a whole day.

“But I was lucky enough to get him. He was found in a certain house in the neighbourhood. I was told he had been found loitering and was rescued,” she said.

She, however, said it is important that the government investigates the issue.

“We have heard of people who steal children and sell them for different reasons. We do not want to take chances,” she said.

LOST AND FOUND

Mr Joseph Tunuok’s 13-year-old son also disappeared for a week from their Endoinyo-Enkopit home.

He was later found in Njipship in Trans Mara East.

“It is very disturbing when your child goes missing mysteriously. You can neither eat nor sleep. It was hell for me for the one week I had lost my child,” he told the Nation.

Contacted, Kilgoris police boss Alfred Muthua said they had recorded many cases of missing children at the police station.

“In most cases, the children are later on found,” he said.

“The woman who lost her child one month ago has not returned to the station ever since she reported the incident,” he added.

In Bomet County, the mother of a Form One student is equally worried after her daughter disappeared from home a month ago.

Mrs Judy Sigei says her first-born child Gladys Cherotich, 16, went to church on July 25, 2016 but never returned home.

She says all efforts to trace her whereabouts have been unsuccessful.