KWS officers and missing Naivasha fisherman shared location, court told
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Nakuru fisherman Brian Odhiambo deepened on Monday after a senior official from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) admitted in court that there were no official records showing arrests made by rangers on the day Odhiambo went missing.
Appearing before a Nakuru court, KWS Assistant Director Emmanuel Koech said he was unable to find any documentation of arrests on January 18, 2025, the same day Odhiambo was last seen despite earlier testimony from the Officer Commanding Station at Bondeni Police Station, who told the court that nine suspects had been brought in following an operation targeting illegal fishing.
“It is not indicating any arrest here... I have not seen any record of any arrested person on that day,” Koech testified. “It is supposed to be recorded. There were no records, and that is not proper.”
Koech further confirmed that six KWS officers involved in the operation, Francis Wachira, Abdulrahman Ali Sudi, Isaac Ochieng, Evans Kimaiyo, Michael Wabukala, and Alexander Lorogoi, are still in active service. However, he could not explain why internal KWS records of the operation were missing.
Family lawyers pressed Koech over KWS’s failure to cooperate with police or make internal reports available during the investigation.
“So there are records at Bondeni Police Station, but no records at KWS? Is that the position?” asked lawyer Kipkoech Ngetich.
“You’ve not called for the records, and it does not break your conscience that you haven’t, even when coming to testify in court?”
“You are telling the court that KWS operates outside the oversight framework? KWS is under IPOA supervision,” added lawyer Abuya Mogendi.
In earlier testimony, telecommunications expert Hassan Salado told the court that the location of Odhiambo’s phone on January 18 matched that of four KWS officers: Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Odhiambo, Michael Wabukala, and Evans Kipsang between 10 am and 10:55 am in Kivumbini, Nakuru East.
“On the 18th of January 2025, the location of the missing person and the suspects are the same, from 10:00 am to 10:55 am,” Salado said.
Salado, who was the sixth witness in the case, told the court that he had received three requests for call data from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Nakuru East Sub-County between January 10 and 21.
The records focused on phone numbers linked to the missing fisherman and the four KWS rangers.
He also clarified that the missing man’s phone was registered under the name of his wife, Alvy Okello.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Diana Sigei challenged Salado’s analysis, referring to a call that Odhiambo’s phone received at 10:06 p.m. the same night in Karunga.
“Confirm that at 22:06, the missing person received a phone call,” she asked.
“That is a forwarded call... it is just a continuation of Karunga. The phone was still located at Karunga,” Salado responded.
The court adjourned the hearing to September 1, with four more witnesses expected to testify.
Appearing before a Nakuru court, KWS Assistant Director Emmanuel Koech said he was unable to find any documentation of arrests on January 18, 2025, the same day Odhiambo was last seen despite earlier testimony from the Officer Commanding Station at Bondeni Police Station, who told the court that nine suspects had been brought in following an operation targeting illegal fishing.
“It is not indicating any arrest here... I have not seen any record of any arrested person on that day,” Koech testified. “It is supposed to be recorded. There were no records, and that is not proper.”
Koech further confirmed that six KWS officers involved in the operation, Francis Wachira, Abdulrahman Ali Sudi, Isaac Ochieng, Evans Kimaiyo, Michael Wabukala, and Alexander Lorogoi, are still in active service. However, he could not explain why internal KWS records of the operation were missing.
Family lawyers pressed Koech over KWS’s failure to cooperate with police or make internal reports available during the investigation.
“So there are records at Bondeni Police Station, but no records at KWS? Is that the position?” asked lawyer Kipkoech Ngetich.
“You’ve not called for the records, and it does not break your conscience that you haven’t, even when coming to testify in court?”
“You are telling the court that KWS operates outside the oversight framework? KWS is under IPOA supervision,” added lawyer Abuya Mogendi.
In earlier testimony, telecommunications expert Hassan Salado told the court that the location of Odhiambo’s phone on January 18 matched that of four KWS officers: Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Odhiambo, Michael Wabukala, and Evans Kipsang between 10 am and 10:55 am in Kivumbini, Nakuru East.
“On the 18th of January 2025, the location of the missing person and the suspects are the same, from 10:00 am to 10:55 am,” Salado said.
Salado, who was the sixth witness in the case, told the court that he had received three requests for call data from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Nakuru East Sub-County between January 10 and 21.
The records focused on phone numbers linked to the missing fisherman and the four KWS rangers.
He also clarified that the missing man’s phone was registered under the name of his wife, Alvy Okello.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Diana Sigei challenged Salado’s analysis, referring to a call that Odhiambo’s phone received at 10:06 p.m. the same night in Karunga.
“Confirm that at 22:06, the missing person received a phone call,” she asked.
“That is a forwarded call... it is just a continuation of Karunga. The phone was still located at Karunga,” Salado responded.
The court adjourned the hearing to September 1, with four more witnesses expected to testify.
KWS
Kenya Wildlife Service
Nairobi-Nakuru Highway
Brian Odhiambo
Lake Nakuru National Park
KWS Nakuru
Nakuru fisherman
Lake Nakuru
Emmanuel Koech
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