Court hears missing fisherman was found “unresponsive” in KWS vehicle
The evidence was given by a protected witness identified as John Doe, currently serving a sentence for illegal fishing.
A Nakuru court has heard chilling testimony placing missing fisherman Brian Odhiambo in a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Land Cruiser, unresponsive, moments before he disappeared.
Witnesses told the court that Odhiambo, who was arrested on January 18 while fishing at Lake Nakuru, appeared lifeless when bundled into the vehicle by rangers.
The evidence was given by a protected witness identified as John Doe, currently serving a sentence for illegal fishing.
Testifying virtually, Doe said he recognised Odhiambo inside a green Land Cruiser on the morning of the arrest. He recalled that rangers chased fishermen, struck one with a baton, and forced others to lie on the ground.
“The rangers were ruthless, and when one lifted his head, he was hit with blows and kicks. I lay down facing the side of the road,” Doe told Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibelion.
He narrated that when the Land Cruiser reversed towards them, he saw Odhiambo lying on his stomach, unconscious, and not responding to orders.
“The ranger pushed the man and directed him to move; he did not move or talk back,” he testified.
Doe added that one ranger checked Odhiambo’s pulse before appearing to signal that he was dead, only for a senior officer to silence him and instruct the driver to leave. The vehicle, he said, was driven into a bush near the lake and never returned.
According to Doe, the group of arrested fishermen was later taken to Bondeni Police Station in a different vehicle, while one injured man was released.
He said they denied being assaulted or seeing Odhiambo out of fear but later sought medical treatment at night for injuries.
The witness identified Odhiambo from a photograph and picked out five of the six rangers charged with his abduction.
His account was supported by other witnesses. Alex Maina, a casual labourer near the lake that morning, said he saw rangers chase, assault, and carry Odhiambo into the vehicle.
“They took him away and threw him in the cruiser like a sack of potatoes before driving away. They ignored my shouts and pleas,” Maina testified.
Another fisherman, Denis Juma, also testifying virtually from prison, said he saw Odhiambo lying unresponsive in the Land Cruiser as officers whispered to each other that he was dead. He recalled one ranger signalling another to remain quiet before the vehicle sped off into a forested area.
In separate testimony, Alex Maina Njenga alleged that rangers undressed Odhiambo and rubbed stinging nettle leaves on his body. “We pleaded with them to free him, but they refused,” Njenga told the court.
The six KWS rangers are accused of abducting Odhiambo on January 18 at the Sewage area in Nakuru Town East. The case will resume on September 8, when the last witness is scheduled to testify.
