The disappearance of Brian Odhiambo, a 33-year-old fisherman from Nakuru, on January 18, 2025, is not just another missing person’s case it is a painful story of betrayal, silence, and cover-up, with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers now under serious public suspicion.
For a man who went fishing to never return, and for his family to have no answers months later, shows a clear failure of institutions meant to protect life.
The family has always insisted that Brian was arrested by KWS officers, but those in charge continue to deny and deflect, hiding behind missing records while the pain of a mother and wife grows deeper every day.
In court, KWS officer Nelson Koech claimed there are no official records showing Brian was arrested. But then came data analyst Hassan Salado, who presented damning evidence phone records showing Brian’s mobile device was in the same location as four KWS officers on the day he vanished.
This serious contradiction between testimony and digital evidence should have forced an immediate investigation and possibly suspensions, but nothing has been done. Instead, the court dismissed earlier pleas from the family, claiming a lack of evidence.
This is not just a legal failure—it is a moral one. The judiciary appears more interested in technicalities than human life, leaving families to cry alone while the same officers suspected of wrongdoing remain in service.
Public anger is growing, and protests around Lake Nakuru have turned violent, with parts of the park even set on fire.
Brian’s mother Elizabeth Auma collapsed in court after the ruling, his wife Alvy Okello has searched mortuaries endlessly, and his brothers have been arrested for demanding justice.
Still, KWS officers continue to walk free. It’s no wonder many believe the agency is using its power to silence the truth. This is not just about Brian. It is about the fear that KWS, once seen as protectors of wildlife, may now be part of a system that covers up its own crimes against ordinary Kenyans.
Online, Kenyans continue to rally around the hashtag #JusticeForBrianOdhiambo. Among the loudest voices is activist I Am Chege, who has openly called out KWS demanding for justice until the truth is known.
Chege’s push has brought much-needed attention to a case the authorities would rather forget. Through social media, citizens are now doing what state agencies have failed to do keep Brian’s name alive and push for accountability.
Even though Principal Magistrate Vincent Adet ordered the DCI and KWS to expand their investigations and submit findings to the ODPP by April 13, there has been little movement.
The public is left wondering if this case is being buried under bureaucracy, like many others before it. Kenya’s justice system now has a choice to stand with the voiceless or continue protecting the uniformed men who believe they are above the law.
Until KWS is held responsible, and until someone answers for what happened to Brian Odhiambo, there will be no peace. The family deserves closure. The public deserves truth. And KWS must be reminded that protecting wildlife should never come at the cost of human life.
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