Whereabouts of the missing ex-CS Tuju, his aide still unknown
The whereabouts of former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju still remains unknown for the third day in a row after he was reported missing on Saturday, March 21. 2026 prompting an investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Police say Tuju was reported missing by his family at Karen Police Station on Sunday, March 22, 2026, after he failed to return home the previous night.
According to the family, the former minister disappeared alongside his driver and aide, Steve Mwanga, while they were on their way to a radio interview.
Authorities later recovered Tuju’s vehicle abandoned along Miotoni Lane in the Karen area, with its hazard lights still on.
A security guard from a nearby institution raised the alarm, prompting officers from Karen Police Station to respond. Crime scene investigators processed the area, and the vehicle was towed to the station for forensic examination.
In a statement, the National Police Service (NPS) confirmed that efforts to reach Tuju have been unsuccessful as his mobile phone remains switched off. A specialised investigative team has since been deployed and is working with other government agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding the disappearance.
Meanwhile, the family of Mwanga is expected to record statements with police on Monday to assist investigators.
A family spokesman said they wanted authorities to give equal attention to the driver’s disappearance.
“As it stands now, people are only discussing Tuju while our kin Steve is also missing. Police insisted they wanted his child or wife to record the statement, and that is what we will do today,” the spokesman said.
Mwanga, who previously vied unsuccessfully for the Ugenya parliamentary seat, has been missing alongside Tuju since Saturday night.
Investigators, however, noted a setback after attempts to access Tuju’s residence on Mwitu Drive were declined by the family.
The DCI has urged full cooperation from all parties, including granting investigators access to relevant locations and providing any information that could help speed up the inquiry.
The disappearance comes at a time when Tuju has been embroiled in a court battle over the ownership of Dari Business Park in Karen. The dispute relates to an alleged failure to repay a Sh1.9 billion loan borrowed from the East African Development Bank in 2015.
The initial loan was about USD 9.2 million (approximately Sh1.2 billion), with the balance attributed to accrued interest.
The properties linked to the dispute include Entim Sidai Wellness Sanctuary off Tree Lane in Karen, Tamarind Karen, and Dari Business Park located off Ngong Road in the Karen area.
On March 19, 2026, Tuju wrote to Inspector General Douglas Kanja protesting what he described as an unlawful police occupation of Dari Business Park.
In the letter, he alleged that more than 100 police officers raided the premises in the early hours of March 13, 2026 without a court order and remained stationed there for nearly a week.
Police say the motive behind the disappearance remains unknown. However, authorities believe Tuju and Mwanga may have been abducted by unknown persons.
The DCI has appealed to members of the public who may have information about Tuju’s whereabouts, or who may have seen him, his vehicle, or any suspicious activity in the Miotoni Lane or greater Karen area before, on, or after March 21, 2026, to come forward.
