Missing Lanet siblings found safe as concerns rise over rising child disappearance cases

Six-year-old Blessing Wangui and her three-year-old brother, Sammy Lewis, have been found. The two children went missing on August 31 while at Rapha Gospel Church, casting a dark shadow over their neighbourhood in Lanet. 

The two were found safe and sound on the morning of September 4.

Maureen Kanini, the children's aunt, told Mtaa Wangu that they had been informed the children were at the sub-chief's office.

"Upon receiving this information, we rushed there and found the children unharmed. We were told that a Good Samaritan had found them wandering by the side of the road in Lanet and taken them there,” Ms Kanini says.

We reached out to Maureen on 10 September to find out more about what had happened.

“The children told us that, while they were playing by the side of the road that afternoon, a woman in a car stopped and told them to get in, saying that she was going to buy them sweets. They complied and got in,” she says.

The woman then took them to a house, where they were told to stay. They were given a drink that made them feel sleepy all the time.

"For those two days, the woman would lock them in the house, leave for a while, and then come back later,' she says. But on the morning of September 4, she took them and left them by the roadside in Lanet,” says Ms Kanini.

“The children could not identify the make or model of the vehicle, but one of the people passing by when the children were dropped off described it as grey and small, like a cab,” she says.

The woman who abducted the children also gave them new names.

“She told the girl that her new name, in case anyone asks, would be Dalia, and that the boy’s name would be Ronnie,” she says.

Cases of children going missing have been on the rise in Nakuru. Mtaa Wangu has highlighted numerous cases of children under the age of 15 going missing without a trace. Some have been found, but others are still missing.

The case of Baby Maya, who went missing in October last year, is similar to the one described by Maureen Kanini.

Baby Maya, who was nine months old, was taken by a woman later identified as Millicent Wambui. At the time of the kidnapping, the child had been taken out to buy chips and juice.

Millicent Wambui, who had kidnapped the child, stayed with her for most of the following three months until her arrest and subsequent conviction.

Regina Waithera, who chairs a community policing committee and the Nyumba Kumi committee in Mwangaza, Pipeline, says that she has experience of dealing with cases of missing children in her area. She cannot rule out the possibility of child trafficking, but she believes that there are also other factors contributing to children going missing.

"Some parents in the community are very negligent and do not seem to care about their children's whereabouts. They just say, ‘Huyo ameenda atarudi’, without considering that their child might be in danger. In cases of missing children, every second counts,” she notes.

She also says that some children indulge in drugs from an early age, and since they know they cannot do so at home, they run away from home to have the liberty to do so.
She also urges parents to teach their children how to behave around strangers.

"Parents play a vital role in teaching their children how to stay safe. It's important to help children understand the risks of talking to strangers or accepting gifts from people they don't know. They should also feel confident enough to raise the alarm or seek help immediately if a stranger approaches them. Above all, parents must prioritise their children's safety consistently, creating an environment where children feel protected and empowered. Ultimately, keeping our children safe starts with awareness, open communication, and proactive guidance," she explains.