NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju says a family sheltered him in Kiambu after going into hiding, following what he described as a dramatic escape from suspected surveillance by an unmarked vehicle.
Tuju resurfaced after hours of anxiety, during which his family had reported him missing after he failed to return home and his phone went off.
“I noticed I was being followed before and reported it to the authorities. On Saturday as I was going for an interview at Ramogi FM, and noticed the same vehicle from before following me, only this time without plate numbers. Fortunately, I know Karen well and branched into Nandi Road, lost the tail, and abandoned my car,” Tuju said.
His disappearance triggered alarm after his vehicle was found abandoned along Miotoni Lane in Karen, with police confirming investigations into the incident.
According to Tuju, he fled into hiding after noticing he was being trailed by a Land Cruiser without number plates, an incident he says escalated near the Karen roundabout before he evaded the alleged abductors through back roads.
“I know Karen very well… I abandoned the vehicle there,” he said, explaining how he managed to slip away undetected.
Raphael Tuju: My family is traumatized and I consider myself lucky because there are many Kenyans with unmarked graves
It was after this escape that he found refuge in Kiambu, where a local family took him in despite not knowing his background.
“A family in Kiambu was able to give me shelter. They didn’t care what tribe I was,” Tuju said, describing the experience as deeply humbling.
His reappearance brings to a close a tense episode that had drawn national attention, with authorities still investigating the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and the claims of being trailed.
There were fears that he had been abducted.
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