Trans Nzoia family in distress over missing teen

On May 14, a grandmother sent her 15-year-old grandson to draw water from a nearby homestead in Namanjalala village, Kwanza sub-county.

Hours later, he had not returned home, and he is still missing about six months later.

The mysterious disappearance of Shakilla Kangethe Munyaka, who was a Form Two student at Lessos AIC Secondary, has left his family in distress. A search for him has yielded nothing but police are still looking for him.

On the day he disappeared, the neighbour had scolded him for stealing biscuits from her shop.

“My grandson went to fetch water from our neighbour’s compound but he never came back. But she came to report that he had found him red-handed stealing biscuits from her shop and reprimanded him,” said Susan Wangeci.

Ms Wangeci said she had thanked her neighbour for informing her about her grandson’s behaviour and promised to talk to him when he returned home.

“He took a long time to come home and I thought maybe he had rushed to her aunt’s place in the neighbouring Tuwan estate after he learnt that I was aware of what he had done, but that was not the case,” Ms Wangeci said.

Gone without a trace

She had hoped that he would come back home that Sunday to prepare for school on Monday, but he never showed up, prompting her to report the case at the Namanjalala police post.

“This matter has taken a toll on us because we have searched everywhere but we do not know where he is. My neighbour has denied any involvement in the disappearance,” Ms Wangeci said.

The boy’s father, Francis Munyaka Kangethe, quit work in Kainuk, Turkana County, to come back home and join the rest of the family in searching for his only child.

“The disappearance of my boy has really affected me, to the extent I have developed sickness, a part from losing my job. He is my only child and I just hope that wherever he is, he is still alive,” Mr Munyaka said.

Trans Nzoia County Criminal Investigations Officer Francis Kihara said detectives are looking for the boy.

“We have investigated this matter but we are yet to get any information relating to the whereabouts of the boy. We are, however, still pursuing this matter to ensure that we find him,” he said.

He added that no ransom has been demanded that could suggest the boy was kidnapped.