Phone data shows four KWS officers in same location as Brian Odhiambo, on day of abduction
Hassan Salalo, the Safaricom Liason officer and Data Analyst reading through documents during the hearing of Brian Odhiambo case in Nakuru on 21 July,2025.
Four KWS officers suspected to have abducted Nakuru fisherman Brian Odhiambo were in the same place with Odhiambo on the day he went missing.
According to Hassan Salalo, the Safaricom Liason officer and Data Analyst, the phone data of Evans Kipsang’, Michael Wabukala, Isaac Odhiambo and Alexander Lorogoi showed that they were all in the same location with a phone number registered to Alvy Aoko (Odhiambo’s wife).
Aoko had earlier testified that she had registered a phone number with her name which her husband was using at the time.
“The phone numbers of the suspects and that of Aoko were in the same location between 1000hrs to 1055hrs. This is consistent with the time Odhiambo was abducted,” he told the court.
This revelation came during the hearing of the case seeking to determine what happened to Odhiambo who went missing on January 18 this year. Odhiambo was last seen dragged into Lake Nakuru National park by six KWS officers dressed in uniform.
When Lake Nakuru National Park Assistant director Emmanuel Koech, took to the stand, he confirmed that all the six accused were on duty on the day of Odhiambo’s disappearance.
Lake Nakuru National Park, Assistant director Emmanuel Koech testifies in court during the hearing of Brian Odhiambo on 21 July,2025.
Koech stated that on that particular day, no records of arrests were made.
This contradicted the testimony by Bondeni Police Station, Officer Commanding Station Chief Inspector Musee Mwangangi who had earlier told the court that nine suspects were booked at the station on January 18.
The suspects who had been arrested by KWS rangers and presented to the station for illegal fishing were arraigned in court on January 21.
“In normal circumstances when a suspect is arrested inside the park, the arresting officers ferry the individuals to the investigation office where it is documented by the investigation teams,” he said.
Mr. Koech added that there were no records indicating arrests of suspects on that day.
“It is illegal for the team not to document the arrests. I do not have a record of arrests made on that day,” he insisted.
Koech further told the court that there was no record of someone known as Brian Odhiambo going missing in the park.
“In some instances when a person escapes from custody, we report such cases. I have heard of several other instances where suspects have escaped custody, but this is the first time I am hearing of it in Nakuru, though I was not there at the time,” he noted.
Koech further explained that there are times KWS officers lack proper equipment to restrain suspects and as such they result in using ropes or even lanyards (the rope attached to the shoulder part of an officers uniform).
(left) Briam Odhiambo's mother Elizabeth Auma and his wife Alvy Aoko follow proceedings during the hearing of Odhiambo's case in Nakuru court on 21 July,2025.
The six rangers, Senior Sergeant Francis Wachira, Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Odhiambo, Michael Wabukala, Evans Kipsang' and Abdulrahman Suli, were first arraigned on March 5, where they pleaded not guilty to the charge of abduction.
Odhiambo’s disappearance set in motion a series of protests in Kivumbini area that lasted seven days. The matter landed in court, with the family seeking the production of Brian Odhiambo whether dead or alive.
However, they were not successful as the judge said that they did not adequately prove that Brian Odhiambo was in the custody of Kenya Wildlife Service.
The hearing will proceed on September 1,2025.