The family of a 30-year-old driver is appealing for help from authorities following reports that he was allegedly abducted from his home in the early hours of the night by unknown assailants in Mulundu Village, Sabatia Sub-County, Vihiga County.
The missing man, identified as Jobson Afanda, operates on transport routes between Kisumu, Luanda, Bungoma and Kitale. He is also the driver to the Principal of Hobunaka Girls Secondary School in Vihiga County. According to relatives, Afanda was last seen on the night of Friday, January 16, 2026, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
Speaking to KNA, family members said Afanda went missing under circumstances that strongly suggest abduction. His brother, Josphat Mugosi, said he rushed to Jobson’s house on Saturday morning after receiving a distress call from their younger brother alerting him about the disappearance.
Mugosi narrated that upon arrival, he found the house in disarray. Clothes Afanda had removed the previous night were still neatly placed on a chair, his mobile phone was still plugged in and charging, and his motorbike lay fallen outside the house. A suitcase had been opened with clothes scattered around the room, yet nothing appeared to have been stolen.
“These signs clearly showed there was a struggle. Whoever took him did not steal anything, which makes us believe this was an abduction,” Mugosi said.
Together with his younger brother, Collins Indiazi, Mugosi reported the incident at Mudete Police Station, where they were issued with an Occurrence Book (OB) number. However, they expressed concern over the delayed police response, saying officers did not visit the scene until late in the afternoon.
“We waited the whole day for the police. They only came at around 4pm, by which time many people had already interfered with the scene,” Mugosi said.
Since then, the family says it has searched tirelessly across police stations and along nearby rivers in vain. Mugosi pleaded with the government and security agencies to intensify efforts to trace his brother, adding that the family is desperate for closure.
“Even if he is dead, we would rather bury him and move on than continue living in uncertainty,” he said.
Indiazi corroborated his brother’s account, adding that he found one shoe in the compound and another at the door, further indicating that Afanda may have been forcibly removed from the house. He also said a panga was found at the door, while a music system inside the house had been knocked down.
“The clothes on the chair showed he had already settled for the night. We believe he was taken while wearing shorts,” Indiazi said.
Indiazi revealed that the family initially received information suggesting Afanda was being held at Kilgoris Police Station, but follow-up inquiries confirmed he was neither there nor booked at the station. He also disclosed that Afanda had managed to send text messages to some contacts saying there were people outside his house. The messages were discovered the following morning after he had already gone missing.
Afanda’s uncle, Enock Ababu, said he noticed a gap in the fence surrounding the compound, which he believes may have been used by the abductors to gain entry. He said the matter was reported to authorities to aid investigations.
Ababu described Afanda as a peaceful and hardworking man who rarely stayed at home except on Friday evenings, when he would return from work, and leave again on Saturday mornings using his motorbike.
“Insecurity in Mulundu Village has worsened in recent months. People are afraid to move around after 7 pm. We fear he may have been killed, but we still hope he is alive,” Ababu said.
Afanda’s stepmother, Jane Imali, made an emotional appeal to the authorities to help locate her son.
“Please help me find my son, please,” she pleaded.
The family has raised alarm over the growing insecurity in Mulundu Village and urged security agencies to increase patrols and investigations to curb rising crime in the area. They say many residents now live in fear as cases of night attacks reportedly increase.
Police have not yet issued an official statement on the incident, but investigations are said to be ongoing.
By Florence Oteng’o & Maureen Imbayi
