‘He left Nakuru for Kitengela to drop off goods, never to be seen again’

Mystery surrounds the disappearance of a Nakuru-based truck driver, who went on a trip to Kitengela town in Kajiado County, never to return.

Mikidadi Mugo Abdalla, who was a driver in Nakuru City, went missing under unclear circumstances in November 2018, days after his boss sent him to transport goods from Nakuru to Nairobi, and later to Kitengela town.

Five years later, his family's efforts to trace him, with the help of police officers, have proven futile, the only hope being that he will one day return.

Mikidadi's family in Bondeni estate, Gilgil sub-county, are now searching for answers to their relative's mysterious disappearance five years later.

On the day he went missing, the lorry driver had been contracted to transport a client's household goods to Kitengela town.

Ms Maimuna Mikidadi, Abdalla's mother, said he was employed by a businessman she only identified as Isaac at Nakuru's Wakulima market, from where he would transport goods to and from Kitengela town.

She recalled the last day Abdalla spoke to the family in November 2018, through his sister, informing them that he had transported a client's property to Kitengela.

Phone goes off

Ms Mikidadi said her daughter called Abdalla and asked him to help enroll her son for madrasa classes. He promised to do so when he returned to Nakuru but they never heard from him again.

"He told me he had secured a job as a driver, transporting goods from Wakulima market to Kitengela and back. When he told his sister he was away, no one was worried because it was not the first time," said the distraught mother.

Ms Mikidadi said the family tried to call him the next day, but his phone went unanswered. She said she never suspected anything was wrong, so she patiently waited for him to return. She was worried, however, because his phone was switched off.

This, she said, forced them to travel to Manyani estate in Nakuru City, where Abdalla lived, to try and find out his whereabouts from their relatives and friends.

Ms Mikidadi tracked down her son's boss, who said he had sent Abdalla to Kitengela, but said he had disappeared, along with the truck he was driving.

She said she filed a missing person's report at Nakuru Central Police Station but that the case was later referred to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. Five years later, her son is yet to be found. 

Ms Mikidadi said DCI officers were assigned to the case and they travelled to Kitengela with the businessman in search of the driver.

"When they told me they were going to Kitengela, my brother and I were happy to join them but later they told us that the space was limited and that they could only take two of us. I even volunteered to allow my brother to travel on my behalf, but they refused," she said.

"I pleaded with them but it was all in vain. I gave them Sh1,000 for lunch and then we went home, hoping they would at least find some clues, but a day later they came back saying they had searched hospitals and mortuaries but he was nowhere to be found. It broke my heart," she said.

Story changes

According to Ms Mikidadi, the businessman later distanced himself from her son's disappearance, saying he was not aware he had travelled to Kitengela.

Instead, the businessman claimed one of his employees gave him the truck after he complained that he was broke and needed some money.

Ms Mikidadi said that police officers promised to call her as soon as they had any information about his whereabouts.

She noted that before he disappeared, Abdalla, her third-born son, had not told any of the family members whether his life was in danger or if anyone had threatened him.

"I don't know if he is still alive or if he was killed. I have had nightmares for years. His disappearance has affected me so much," she said.

"Two of my children are dead. I cannot say Abdalla is also dead until I am told so, then my heart will be at peace. He was a good man. There is not a single day he quarreled with anyone. He was a quiet person since childhood."

According to Nakuru East Sub County Criminal Investigations boss George Momanyi, detectives were unable to find a formal complaint to show Ms Mikidadi had reported the matter to police.

"Since the case is from 2018, which is a long time ago, the complainant should come with an OB number to show she [filed] a formal report. [Alternatively], if she remembers the exact date, she can come forward. That way, the officers will be able to trace him," said Mr Momanyi.

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