Missing fisherman’s wife to use free park entry day to search Lake Nakuru for husband

While Kenyans are preparing to enjoy free entry to all national parks, reserves and sanctuaries on International Tourism Day on 27 September, one family from Nakuru will not be there for leisure.

For Alvy Aoko Okello, whose husband Brian Odhiambo has been missing since January 2025, the day offers a painful opportunity: to search once again for her husband inside Lake Nakuru National Park, where he was last seen with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers.

In a video shared by human rights activists, Alvy pleaded with the public to join her:

"My children always ask me where their dad is, and I don't know what to tell them. On the 27, I hope you will all come to the park and help me search for my husband," she says.

Odhiambo’s disappearance has sparked public protests, ongoing court cases and scrutiny of the KWS, with his family demanding answers nearly nine months later.

Alvy says she hopes this second search will bring closure:

“I cry for my husband every day. I want to heal. I am tired of telling my children and neighbours that their father will be found. My children now think I am a liar, which I don't like," she says.

The family previously carried out a search in March, but Alvy believes that delays and interference compromised the effort. She now fears hostility from KWS, but insists that she is determined to continue.

Her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Auma, is preparing emotionally and practically by setting up a possible final resting place at their rural home.

For many, International Tourism Day is a celebration of nature. For this Nakuru family, however, it is a desperate search for truth.