Heartbreak for family as man who disappeared in Mwiki found dead in river

The search for a 26-year-old man, reported missing on the eve of 2025, ended tragically with the discovery of his lifeless body in Mwiki, Kasarani, Nairobi County.

The news of the young man's body being found in the Nairobi River near Northlands on Saturday was shared on social media four days after he was reported missing, marking a heartbreaking end to a desperate search.

Ian Kiprotich, the son of Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner Dr. John Korir, disappeared on December 31, around Mwiki in Kasarani sub-county.

"With the permission from the family, I wish to communicate that the body of Ian Singoe has been found and positively identified. Plans are underway to transfer the body to the morgue as police investigations begins. My Sincere condolences to the family of John and Pauline, Rip," tweeted a blogger by the name Richkidd Wizzy.

His cousin, Calistus Kemboi, one of the relatives who had appealed for help in locating Kiprotich, stated that he had not returned home after celebrating New Year's Eve.

Kemboi also dismissed the possibility of abduction, citing the results of the postmortem examination.

"He didn't reach home after the New Year celebrations. We are just from the postmortem, and there is no foul play. He was intoxicated and might have just fallen; there are no signs of struggle or injuries," he said.

In Bomet, Kiprotich's heartbroken mother, Pauline Korir, described the tragic news as utterly devastating for their family.

"The death of Ian has really affected us as a family. He was such a promising, bright soul and had big plans to marry and move to Dubai for work," said Ms. Korir.

The mother, who serves as Chief Officer for Gender at Bomet County government, explained that her son was the first-born in a family of three siblings, with the youngest being a girl. She revealed that Ian had been living alone in Kasarani and had just completed his employment contract with Koko Energy Company.

"Ian studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Nairobi after achieving an A-minus at Kanga Boys High School," said a tearful Ms. Korir on the phone.

When asked about her suspicions regarding the cause of death, she expressed uncertainty, adding, "He didn't post much. He was mainly on Instagram and wasn't very active on Facebook, only posting occasionally."

This was confirmed by a search of his social media accounts. His Facebook account, under the name Ian Ress, revealed that his last post was on October 27, 2024, where he appeared with two young men behind him and captioned it "Me and my brother."

On his Instagram account, his last post was on December 27, 2024, where he posed with former Bomet County Governor Isaac Ruto.

Devastated by the loss of his son, Kiprotich's father was unable to speak to The Sunday Standard.

The discovery comes amid growing fear and concern in the country, with a recent wave of abductions and killings of young people.

Another two bodies were yesterday found in Kiambu County. The naked body of 27-year-old John Muchiri, who was reported missing on Friday was found in Kawaida area. It is alleged that his girlfriend had received a call from unknown persons directing her to the location of the body.

In Kiambaa, the body of Jacquiline Nyambura was found in Kamutaro village on the Banana-Ruaka road.

Additional reporting by George Njunge