Uasin Gishu family pleads for answers after alleged abduction of two relatives in Kerio Valley

Tecla Yano, who is wife to the abducted medic Edward Kipchumba sheds tears during a media briefing in Eldoret./PHOTO:MATHEWS MDANYI

A family in Uasin Gishu is in anguish after two of their loved ones were abducted in Kerio Valley two weeks ago, leaving them desperate for answers and clinging to hope.

They’re now calling on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Inspector General Douglas Kanja to break their silence and reveal the whereabouts of their missing kin, who they believe were seized by police.

The missing men are Edward Kipchumba Terer, a 48-year-old laboratory technologist at Hope Clinic in Sambalat, and Mark Lomuke, who worked at the KVDA Tot mango factory.

Their family, led by Kipchumba’s wife, Tecla Yano, his brother Augustine Kiplimo, and uncle Willy Chesingil, has searched tirelessly but to no avail.

“We have reported to several police stations and checked every mortuary, but there’s no trace of them,” Kiplimo said.

“If they were arrested, we’re pleading with the authorities to bring them to court so we can at least know what crime they’re accused of.”

Mzee Willy Chesingil who is an uncle to the abducted medic./PHOTO: MATHEWS NDANYI

According to Kiplimo, the nightmare began on June 2, when a group of men in civilian clothes stormed the Hope Clinic and forcibly took Kipchumba away.

Two others, including the clinic’s owner, were also abducted that day but were later released. Kipchumba, however, remains missing.

Kiplimo insisted his brother was a hardworking man with no known disputes or criminal history.

The two who were released told the family they had been bundled into a vehicle with police officers in uniform, raising more questions about the identity of the abductors.

“We believe the government knows exactly where they are,” Kiplimo said.

“We’re just asking for the truth so we can have peace in our hearts.”

Tecla Yano described her husband as a quiet, kind man who never voiced any fears for his life.

“He never said he felt threatened or had any conflicts,” she said.

“Our children cry day and night, asking where their father is, and I have no answers for them.”

Lomuke, who was also abducted from the mango factory, is Tecla’s brother, adding to her anguish.

“I’m deeply pained because they have taken away both my husband and my brother, and we don’t know why,” she said.

Augustine Kiplimo, who is a brother to the missing medic, speaking in Eldoret./PHOTO: MATHEWS NDANYI

The family has reached out to security officers in the area, but so far, no one has been able to provide information on the men’s fate.

Their uncle, Mzee Chesingil, appealed directly to President William Ruto and CS Murkomen to explain why their kin were abducted.

“CS Murkomen is from this area, and as the Interior CS, he has the means to find out what happened to them,” Chesingil said.

“We’re asking him and our leaders to speak out.”

The abductions took place just days after Catholic priest Father Allois Bett was shot dead by suspected bandits in the same region.

The killing has triggered a security crackdown and heightened tensions in Kerio Valley. In response, the Catholic Church has closed operations at Chesongoch Mission Hospital, and teachers, nurses, and other non-local civil servants have fled the area out of fear.

For the families of Kipchumba and Lomuke, the wait for answers—and for justice—feels endless.

“We just want to know where they are,” Tecla said quietly.

“We just want them back.