Where are they? Family cries for justice after Kerio Valley abductions

A family in Uasin Gishu is demanding answers from authorities after two of their relatives were abducted in Kerio Valley two weeks ago and have not been seen since.

The missing men—Edward Kipchumba Terer, a 48-year-old laboratory technologist at Hope Clinic in Sambalat, and Mark Lomuke, who worked at the KVDA Tot mango factory—were reportedly taken by people in police uniform.

Their family believes police were involved and is calling on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General Douglas Kanja to break their silence.

“We have reported to several police stations and checked every mortuary, but there’s no trace of them,” said Kipchumba’s brother, Augustine Kiplimo.

“If they were arrested, we’re pleading with the authorities to bring them to court so we can at least know what crime they’re accused of,” he added.

Kiplimo said two other men, including the clinic owner, were also taken that day but were later released. According to them, they were bundled into a vehicle by men in police uniforms.

“We believe the government knows exactly where they are,” said Kiplimo. “We’re just asking for the truth so we can have peace in our hearts.”

Kipchumba’s wife, Tecla Yano, described her husband as a quiet and kind man who had no known threats or disputes.

“He never said he felt threatened or had any conflicts,” she said. “Our children cry day and night, asking where their father is, and I have no answers for them.”

Adding to her pain is the fact that her brother, Lomuke, was also among those abducted.

“I’m deeply pained because they have taken away both my husband and my brother, and we don’t know why,” she said.

Their uncle, Willy Chesingil, appealed directly to President William Ruto and CS Murkomen for help.

“CS Murkomen is from this area, and as the Interior CS, he has the means to find out what happened to them,” said Chesingil. “We’re asking him and our leaders to speak out.”

The abductions happened just days after Catholic priest Father Allois Bett was shot dead by suspected bandits in the region. The killing triggered a security crackdown and raised tensions in Kerio Valley.

The Catholic Church has since shut down operations at Chesongoch Mission Hospital, and non-local workers, including teachers and nurses, have fled the area in fear.

For the family of Kipchumba and Lomuke, the silence from authorities only deepens their pain.

“We just want to know where they are,” Tecla said. “We just want them back.”