Man Mistaken As Missing Kibet Recounts Harrowing Experience During Nighttime Raid

NAKURU, Kenya – As calls for accountability grow over rising reports of human rights abuses and abductions in Kenya, a Nakuru County resident has shared his terrifying experience of being mistakenly targeted by individuals he believes were police officers.

The man, whose identity has been concealed for his safety, told NTV how a group of armed individuals broke into his home in the early hours of the morning, allegedly mistaking him for missing cartoonist Gideon Kibet alias Yoko.

According to the man, the ordeal began at 3 a.m. when he and his family were startled by a deafening bang on their door.

“I was eating supper with my family before going to bed. At around 3 a.m., I heard a loud bang that shook the house’s foundations,” he recounted.

Despite living in a neighborhood with security, the boldness of the intruders left him in shock.

When the assailants forced their way into his bedroom, they aimed guns at him—an experience he described as surreal and terrifying.

“They were brandishing what looked like new, automatic weapons,” he said. “They pointed guns at me for the first time in my life.”

The intruders soon realized they had the wrong person.

They lowered their weapons, questioned him about the occupants of the house, and searched the bedroom, even tossing the mattress aside.

“They seemed angry when they found no one under the bed. They asked me who lived here, and I explained it was just my family and me. I had to show them where my family was to prove it,” he said.

The raid left his family deeply shaken. Despite assurances that the men wouldn’t return, the incident has profoundly affected their sense of safety.

The man reported the incident to Njoro Police Station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), but both agencies claimed no knowledge of the raid.

The following day, he learned from a neighbor that the individuals might have been searching for one of his tenants—a revelation that only added to the confusion and fear.

The missing cartoonist, Gideon Kibet Yoko, has been at the center of attention following his disappearance, with critics accusing the government of targeting dissenting voices.

Advocacy groups and citizens are urging the government to address the surge in human rights violations and provide transparency about alleged abductions.