One KWS officer murdered and another 'abducted' 3 days and 95 kilometres apart
SEEJ-AFRICA NOTE: The following account is a compilation of open sources on the disappearance of Kenya Wildlife Services Intelligence officer, Francis Awuor Oyaro. Included in the account are reported statements to media from Oyaro’s wife, his sister, and details from a phone conservation that the sister had with a man who traveled with Oyaro in public transport to his ‘abduction’ point. Links to the open sources will follow.
It is also of note that the Kenya Wildlife Service did not put out a press release seeking the public’s assistance in locating Oyaro until yesterday, after a recent media flurry and 29 days from when last seen.
Francis Isaac Awour Oyaro was an KWS intelligence officer based in Marsabit where he had been for two years. He had previously been posted in Nakuru were his family were residing.
On August 31st, 2021, Oyaro left Marsabit to be on leave with his family for 1 week. He departed at approximately 07:00hrs in a KWS van with 2 other colleagues who were travelling to Nairobi. He alighted in Nanyuki around 13:00hrs, the 350 km journey taking 5-6 hours.
He then transferred to a matatu (public transport) for the journey to Nakuru. About 20 kms south of Nanyuki, in the area of Naro More, the matatu was flagged down by 2 men who were driving a black saloon car. The men, dressed in civilian clothes, produced to the driver some type of identification purporting to be security agents.
The agents asked the driver to first remove the luggage of Oyaro from the rear of the vehicle and then asked Oyaro to alight, which he did. He knew the two men and something similar to “why are you following me, when I was with you yesterday?”.
Oyaro attempted to make a phone call but the phone was snatched away and he was led to the black saloon car with his bag. The security agents ordered the matatu to continue with the journey which it did.
The reported area of ‘abduction’ is approximately 95 kms from where KWS officer, Bajila Kofa, was ambushed and killed three days later. It is also about 20 kms from the Solio Conservancy where Kofa was in charge of the security of over 200 rhinos. At least one rhino was poached in recent months but this has never been publicly admitted.
