A 60-year-old cook in Mombasa has been missing for the last 49 days and the family is now desperate to find him, or his body.
Salim Mzee Salim received a call from a friend, only identified as Hashim, at around 8am on Saturday, April 13, inviting him for a biryani lunch near Mshomoroni.
He left his house in Barsheba, Kisauni constituency, about four hours later for to meet the friend for lunch.
That was the last time he was seen. He has been missing since.
His family says Salim is not married and has no children.
He stayed with three other people who helped him in his cooking business.
Salim is a good cook. He always received orders to cook at weddings, birthday parties and other social and corporate events.
His cousin, Rashid Suleiman, on Friday said they reported the matter at different police stations, including Nyali, Kiembeni and Dog Section.
“We have been to all places he frequented, but we still have no word of his whereabouts,” he said.
The family spoke at the Haki Africa offices in Mombasa, where they sought help.
“We don’t know whether he is alive or not. We appeal to police to help us unravel this mystery,” Suleiman said.
Salim’s younger sister, Firdhaus Salim, described him as a disciplined man who is always home by 6pm.
“We have been fasting and praying for Allah’s help but nothing has happened. We ask the authorities to help us find our brother,” Firdhaus said.
Haki Africa rapid response officer Mathias Shipeta said this is the fourth case they have received of a missing person this year.
“The family says they have unsuccessfully searched for their relative in all police stations, hospitals and morgues in Mombasa and its environs,” Shipeta said.
He asked the security agencies to hasten investigations into the matter, saying although there have been successful cases where missing persons have been found, they are worried about Salim's disappearance.
Kisauni police boss Julius Kiragu and his Nyali counterpart Simon Thirikwa told the Star police are doing all they can to ensure Salim is found.
“When we get such cases, we usually circulate it to all police stations so we get help,” Thirikwa said on the phone.
Kiragu said police are there to ensure that the family gets their loved one back but called for cooperation from members of the public, who might have any information about Salim.
Shipeta said last year that Haki Africa recorded 32 cases of missing persons at the Coast.
This shows an improvement in the cases, judging by the rate at which the cases are reported.
Shipeta, however, said many such cases go unreported and families suffer in silence.
“We know of cases where people in Tana River have gone missing with families suspecting security agencies, but are too afraid to come out,” he said.
Shipeta said in most cases in Tana River, the missing persons are always linked to poaching.
He, however, said there is hope as not all cases end badly.
“We have had three cases where persons reported as missing are found,” said Shipeta.
He cited the cases of Hamisi Madilo, Cynthia Swabrina and Mohamed Farid, who were all reported missing between December last year and February this year but were all found.
