A family in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County, is in agony after their 17-year-old son went missing on March 24, 2021.
Paul Matheka and Rose Mwongeli who are the parents of James Vala, a Form Two student at Wareng mixed secondary school have been having sleepless nights.
Recounting the last moments with her son, Mwongeli said that she prepared lunch for Vala and his young brother, Alex Ndandu in Langas estate where they reside after which he left saying he was going out for a walk.
Mwongeli who sells groceries in the same estate said that when she came back home in the evening, her son had not returned, which was unusual.
“We are in a state of confusion and anxiety because we do not know whether he was kidnapped or killed somewhere while returning back home. He had no mobile phone on the day he went missing,” she said.
The family has been conducting searches in the neighbourhood and calling friends to no avail.
“We have resorted to prayers in the hope that our son will one day come back home and continue with his secondary school education because he was an obedient and bright boy right from primary school,” said Mwongeli.
Matheka said they are planning to extend their search to all public hospitals and mortuaries in Uasin Gishu County before extending the same search mission in South Rift, Nairobi County, and their home county of Makueni and Machakos.
“We are praying day and night to God so our son can be found alive because he was our pillar of hope and happiness in the family. Life has never been the same since he went missing without any clue on his whereabouts,” said Matheka.
“At first I thought maybe he had decided to travel to my parent’s home in Makueni County, but when I called my family members there, they said
he had not been spotted there ever since schools closed for second term holiday,” said Matheka.
A senior police officer attacked to Langas police station confirmed that the matter was reported at the station by the missing boy’s parents two days after he disappeared.
“In fact, we have launched investigation into the matter and also circulated his photo but we are yet to receive any feedback on his whereabouts,” said the officer who declined to be named.