The case involving the disappearance of Nakuru fisherman Brian Odhiambo resumed in a Nakuru court Monday, with a telecommunications expert linking Odhiambo’s last known phone location to that of four Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers who are now suspects in the case.
Hassan Salado, a data analyst and the sixth witness in the ongoing trial, told the court that Odhiambo’s phone signal was traced to the Kivumbini area of Nakuru East between 10:00 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. on January 18, 2025—matching the exact location and time frame as the mobile phones belonging to four KWS officers charged in connection with the case.
“On the 18th of January 2025, the location of the missing person and the suspects are the same, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:55 a.m.,” Salado testified.
Salado revealed that he received three call data requests from the Nakuru East Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) between January 10 and 21, focusing on phone records belonging to Odhiambo and KWS rangers Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Odhiambo, Michael Wabukala, and Evans Kipsang.
Salado further clarified that Odhiambo’s phone was registered under his wife’s name, Alvy Okello.
During cross-examination, defense lawyers challenged the accuracy of the data, pointing out a record showing Odhiambo’s phone being in Karunga at 10:06 p.m. the same day.
“Confirm that at 22:06, the missing person received a phone call,” said Diana Sigei, a defense lawyer.
“That is a forwarded call… it is just a continuation of Karunga. The phone was still located at Karunga,” Salado responded.
In a separate testimony, Emmanuel Koech, an assistant director at KWS, struggled to explain why there were no records of arrests made on January 18, the day Odhiambo reportedly disappeared.
His account conflicted with a previous testimony by the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Bondeni Police Station, who said nine suspects had been brought in after an operation on illegal fishing.
“It is not indicating any arrest here… I have not seen any record of any arrested person on that day,” Koech told the court. “It is supposed to be recorded. There were no records, and that is not proper.”
Koech also admitted that the six KWS officers—Francis Wachira, Abdulrahman Ali Sudi, Isaac Ochieng, Evans Kimaiyo, Michael Wabukala, and Alexander Lorogoi—remain in active service.
Lawyers representing the family pressed Koech on KWS’s failure to produce internal records and coordinate with police during investigations.
“So there are records at Bondeni Police Station, but no records at KWS? Is that the position?” asked family lawyer Kipkoech Ngetich. “You’ve not called for the records, and it does not break your conscience that you haven’t, even when coming to testify in court?”
“You are telling the court that KWS operates outside the oversight framework? KWS is under IPOA supervision,” added lawyer Abuya Mogendi.
The court adjourned the hearing, which is set to resume on September 1st, with four additional witnesses expected to take the stand.
