Isiolo businessman missing since Christmas Day, probe on
A passport picture of Isiolo businessman Abduba Boru Waqo, who has been missing since December 25, 2020.
What you need to know:
- As Christians across the world celebrated Christmas Day, Mr Boru, popularly known as Abuya, was cashing in on the celebration at his butchery, which he has operated for the past 10 years.
- His eldest son, Amos Waqo, says he last saw his father on Friday evening as he left the shop, saying he was exhausted after working for the whole day and had to leave and take some rest.
On a normal day, it takes Abduba Boru Waqo 10 minutes to ride on a motorcycle from his butchery in Isiolo town to his family home.
On December 25, what was his normal evening routine mysteriously changed. He left his business earlier than usual and, five days later, he is yet to return home.
As Christians across the world celebrated Christmas Day, Mr Boru, popularly known as Abuya, was cashing in on the celebration at his butchery, which he has operated for the past 10 years.
His daily activities usually begin at around 5.40am when he leaves his home at Kulamawe for the slaughterhouse. Christmas Day was no different. After an hour at the slaughterhouse, he joined his workers at his Gamoji butchery.
At the butchery, his two sons and younger brother were already working alongside another employee.
Business was booming on that day but events turned suspicious in the evening when the 60-year-old asked to leave work earlier than usual. That was the last time his kin and staff saw him.
Something amiss
His eldest son, Amos Waqo, says he last saw his father on Friday evening as he left the shop, saying he was exhausted after working for the whole day and had to leave and take some rest.
The businessman, the son says, left for the house at around 7.30pm and carried over Sh35,000, which they made that day.
His sons arrived at their home, about two kilometres away from the town, about half an hour later but Mr Boru was not yet home.
“Our mother was shocked to learn that he left the butchery earlier than we did. We knew something was wrong,” said a distraught Mr Waqo.
“We immediately tried reaching him on the phone but it was switched off,” he added.
The family spent the entire night contacting relatives in other areas to find out if they had seen Mr Boru.
His phone was switched on around midnight but was unreachable minutes later.
Now what transpired between 7.30pm and 8pm on Christmas Day remains a mystery.
Officially missing
Mr Boru now has been declared missing, with police opening an investigation.
The family reported the matter at Isiolo Police Station, vide OB No 09/26/12/2020, on December 26.
Initially they looked into whether he had been arrested by officers enforcing the curfew but found he was not among those booked
for violating the rules.
The family claims detectives told them that tracking by officers at the Isiolo Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed Mr Boru’s phone was in Lang’ata, Nairobi, but that no progress has been made since then.
“We are in pain because we do not know if he is alive or dead,” Mr Boru’s sister, Dasa Boru, said, adding that their mother was hospitalised.
The family has accused police of laxity in investigating the matter, saying they met investigators’ demands, including providing a picture of the missing businessman.
“We are appealing to the government and other bodies to help us trace our father. We are worried because we do not know if he was seized by the government or robbers, or if he is dead,” the son said.
Isiolo County Police Commander Joseph Kigen said investigations were launched but he did not give details.
“We will share updates once we get them,” he said.
