A former Kenya Wildlife Service intelligence officer who went missing on August 28 last year has been identified among the bodies pulled from River Yala in Siaya County.
Francis Oyaro, who went missing while traveling from Marsabit to Nairobi eight months ago, was among the twenty-six people whose bodies were recovered from the river on various dates.
Yesterday, the mortuary released the body to Oyaro’s family for burial following a positive match of the DNA results.
The wife, Veronicah Osore last spoke to Oyaro on August 28 last year when he was on his way to Nakuru from his workstation at Marsabit National Park.
“We have found peace as a family and we thank God for this,” she said.
On that fateful day, Oyaro hiked a lift on a KWS vehicle from Marsabit and was with two other female colleagues.
Eyewitnesses told the family that a public service vehicle they were later traveling in was flagged down near Naro Moru, Nyeri county, by people who appeared to know Oyaro.
They removed him from the matatu, pushed him into a black saloon car and drove away. On failing to trace him, the family printed and circulated posters bearing his name and photograph.
A man who claimed to have been in the same matatu with him then informed the family that the officer boarded the vehicle at Nanyuki and, on reaching Naro Moru, they were flagged down by two people who identified themselves as security officers.
“They even went ahead and showed the driver their identification cards,” the witness said.
His disappearance was reported three days later at the Nakuru police station after he failed to arrive home.
Alarm was raised following an increased number of bodies retrieved from River Yala.
According to Haki Africa, 67 people disappeared last year and eight since the beginning of this year.
The number of bodies that have been positively identified from the yet to be resolved Yala River murders stand at 12.
Fifteen bodies are yet to be identified and are still lying at the Yala Sub County Morgue as authorities call for more families whose loved ones are missing to present themselves for DNA tests.
Some of the bodies that have been positively identified are of George Abong’o, Eric Omeno, Margarete Atieno, Titus Lisutha, Philip Chepkuony, Peter Mutuku Kioo and Erastus Ndirangu.
In September, 2021, Nyeri company commander at KWS Aberdare Bajila Kofa was killed after his saloon car was sprayed with bullets on the Meru-Nanyuki Road.
Kofa’s car had at least 30 bullet holes while the driver’s window was shattered and tyres perforated.
Imenti North police boss Alexander Makau said that they did not know the identity of the killers but labelled the victim a criminal.
“We suspect he was a criminal. Previously, we had received intelligence that we had armed robbers in Meru municipality and had been following them. We are still pursuing them,” he said.
He told reporters that they suspected the victim could have been executed by other criminals.
Witnesses said they were shocked by the speed, precision and boldness of the executioners.
“They opened fire at the vehicle as they sped past. It was a very heavy gunfire that lasted a few minutes,” said a witness.
It was speculated Kofa could have been the work of poachers.
