NAKURU, Kenya – Six officers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) were arraigned on Monday at a Nakuru court in connection with the alleged abduction of Brian Odhiambo, a fisherman who went missing under unclear circumstances near Lake Nakuru National Park in January.
The officers—Francis Gachoki, Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Wabukala, Michael Kimaiyo, Evans Kipsang, and Abdulrahman Ali Sudi—appeared before Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibellion and pleaded not guilty to one count of abduction with intent to confine.
The charge stems from an incident that occurred on January 18 in Nakuru’s Bondeni area, where the six are accused of unlawfully detaining Odhiambo with the intent to secretly confine him.
His whereabouts remain unknown more than three months later.
The arraignment follows a March court ruling in which the Nakuru High Court dismissed a petition to compel KWS to produce Odhiambo, citing insufficient grounds.
However, the case has remained in the public eye, drawing growing concern over alleged misconduct within the state wildlife agency.
Magistrate Kibellion ordered the officers to be remanded at Nakuru GK Prison for seven days pending a bail determination.
The prosecution maintains that the suspects acted unlawfully and that their actions obstructed due process.
KWS has previously claimed that its officers had detained an unidentified man near the park who escaped custody before proper records could be taken.
However, Odhiambo’s family insists he was last seen inside the park and has since filed an affidavit alleging intimidation and coercion aimed at derailing their pursuit of justice.
The case has sparked renewed scrutiny of accountability within protected areas and raised human rights concerns tied to the conduct of security officers attached to conservation duties.
