Revealed: Brian Odhiambo's final, brutal moments

Six Kenya Wildlife Service rangers linked to the disappearance of fisherman Brian Odhiambo, when they appeared before Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibelion at the Nakuru Law Courts on May 5, 2025. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard

A witness has told a Nakuru court that Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers assaulted and injured at least six fishermen on the day Brian Odhiambo allegedly disappeared while in their custody.

Michael Rono, currently serving a four-year jail term for illegal fishing, testified before Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibelion against six rangers charged with Odhiambo’s abduction. They are Senior Sergeant Francis Wachira and rangers Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Ochieng, Michael Wabukala, Evans Kimaiyo, and Abdulrahaman Sudi.

Rono recounted that on January 18, 2025, the day Odhiambo vanished, he intervened after hearing commotion near his home in an area of Nakuru known as “Vietnam.” He claimed he saw rangers assaulting a fisherman and jumped over the Nakuru National Park fence to help.

“I heard noise, and when I left my house, I saw someone being beaten. When I tried to help him, I was arrested by Ochieng, who was hiding in the area,” he testified.

According to Rono, Ochieng gave him two options: board the ranger’s boat or face a beating. His pleas, including an alleged bribe of Sh3,000, were rejected, and he was detained. He added that he saw several fishermen injured, including one whose mouth was bleeding.

The witness described how the men were taken to the Summit area, ordered to lie face down and forbidden from looking up. “All of us were lying down, except for one fisherman who was too injured to comply,” he said.

After about an hour, a KWS vehicle arrived. Rono testified that he discreetly raised his head and saw a man lying motionless inside. He identified him as Odhiambo, a fisherman he had known since 2021. “He was wearing black shorts with white stripes and a grey t-shirt. I recognised him by his well-built body, unique hairstyle, and looks. He is someone I have worked with for over four years. He was the guy who used to help me get fishing work, and he used to alert me of the places where it was safe to fish,” Rono said.

He alleged that one ranger remarked, amekata (he has died) before signalling to Wachira, their supervisor, who gestured for the vehicle to leave. The car then drove off to a bush inside the park.

When Wachira noticed Rono had looked up, the witness claimed, he struck him in the face with a walking stick, leaving him bleeding.“He asked what I was looking at. I lay down, and when he saw I was bleeding, he stopped hitting me,” testified Rono.

Rono further testified that after another hour, the group was taken to Bondeni Police Station. Three fishermen complained of severe injuries, including one with damage to his private parts. “They were in worse condition than I was,” he said.

He described the rangers as “cruel and violent people who seize any opportunity to assault fishermen.