Queries as man, 33, disappears from Kisumu home
Chrysantus Amimo, 33, who went missing from his parent's home in Kisumu.
It was around 1pm on May 21, when Euphemia Atieno discovered that something was amiss.
For the first time in the family's history, Chrysantus Amimo had failed to show up for lunch.
Ms Atieno asked her daughter Bella Abungu if she had seen her brother. The answer was negative.
“My son never leaves home without informing us, and he never misses lunch if he is at home,” Ms Atieno would later explain to this writer.
Her husband, Lazarus Abungu, initially did not panic when his son failed to join the rest of the family members for lunch. He assumed that Amimo was just around and would soon return home.
However, he tensed when dinner time clocked and there was still no sign of the 33-year-old man.
“At first, I didn't see any cause for alarm, but when he failed to come for dinner, which was extremely unusual, a feeling of premonition gripped me," he says.
The couple immediately telephoned Amimo's siblings alerting them of the development.
"He might have left while I was working in the backyard because we had breakfast together and his sister said he was around until 11am," Ms Atieno explains amid sobs.
Euphemia Atieno, breaks down as she narrates to journalists how her son, Chrysantus Amimo, went missing from their home in Kisumu.
The following morning the family filed a missing person report at Nyangeta Police Post in Kibos and proceeded to print posters which they later circulated in the neighbourhood with the hope of gathering information that might lead to finding Amimo.
“We have been receiving distressing calls after posting about his disappearance on social media, with some callers demanding ransoms,” reveals Ms Atieno.
The couple says that they have received several anonymous calls from people claiming to have seen Amimo in various locations, including Ahero, Oyugis, and Homa Bay.
“One caller said he saw my son stranded in Ahero Town and was looking for bus fare to go to Nairobi.
"Another caller claimed to have seen him in Yala Town on the same day. I was disturbed because my son couldn't be in two places at once,” Mr Abungu said.
The family also received a lead that he was seen in Manyatta Estate in Kisumu, but by the time they arrived, they were told he had reportedly left two days earlier.
“Recently, I received a call at night from someone claiming to have seen my son in Sirare and demanded Sh15,000 to connect me with him,” Ms Atieno said.
Mr Abungu, says that life has never been the same ever since his son disappeared.
“We have searched nearly every area across Kisumu including police stations. The only places we have not checked are the hospitals.
"Since my son left, we have had sleepless nights. It hurts when you have lost someone, but it hurts the most not knowing their whereabouts,” said Mr Abungu.
Mr Amimo, who completed his studies at the Kisumu National Polytechnic in 2015, is said to have left home wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt, and sports shoes.
"He is a soft-spoken tall guy with a dark skin complexion and speaks English, Swahili and Dholuo. We pray that God keeps him safe wherever he is," says Mr Abungu.
