•Halanka was picked up from a traffic jam after his car was blocked in daylight while Roba was on his errands when he was abducted.
•Police say they are yet to know the motive of the incidents and the probe is ongoing
Police are investigating claims that two Marsabit based businessmen who are missing were abducted in Nairobi.
Kunni Hele Halanka and Roba Abduba Sereka are said to have been abducted by armed men in separate places in Nairobi.
Halanka went missing on February 7, 2022, and his family say they have been searching for him in vain, while Roba went missing on February 2, 2022.
Halanka, 70, was riding in a taxi along Likoni Road when the car was intercepted before he was picked up by men who claimed to be police officers.
The family says he is on medication, which if he does not take it, may lead to a heart attack.
Sereka, 60, was picked up at gunpoint at Green Valley shopping centre at about 11 am.
The families of the two say they are yet to be contacted by the said abductors, and they do not know the motive.
Police spokesman Bruno Shioso said they are aware of the incidents and efforts to trace them are ongoing.“We receive many cases of missing persons, and these are among those that are under investigation. The probe is ongoing,” he said.
The families of the two men have printed and circulated posters of them as part of efforts to enhance the search.
The two are prominent businessmen in Marsabit and wield power.
Haki Africa, which is among agencies leading in the operation to get the two, said they are yet to know the motive.
The incidents come in the wake of an ongoing operation in Marsabit and Isiolo against a new wave of inter-clan attacks, which has left dozens of locals dead and others displaced.
It is not clear if the abduction of the two is linked to the skirmishes in the area.
Such cases of abduction have been reported on a few individuals who were later released. The victims kept mum after being released. Some are taken for grilling on alleged crimes they were aware of or committed, those close to them say.
For instance, businessman Mohamed Hassan, who was on December 23, 2021, abducted from his premises in Machakos, was released by his abductors almost three weeks later.
He has not said a word about the incident since then.
Hassan was allegedly taken by individuals said to have been patrolling to enforce Covid-19 regulations.
Police have denied involvement in these incidents.