A family in Tuala village, Kajiado East Sub-county, Kenya, is seeking answers following the death of their only son, whose body was discovered in an abandoned water filled pit latrine four days after he was reported missing.
Master Branton Maliba Isabwa, four-and-10-months old, went missing on the afternoon of December 20, 2023.
His body was discovered on December 24.
A postmortem examination conducted on Thursday, December 28, at City mortuary indicates the boy had drowned, but the family has disputed the cause of death, alleging foul play.
The family wants the investigation into the boy’s death concluded, alleging they have known enemies who could have wished them harm.
When he went missing, the boy had been playing with his friends a few meters from the family’s rental house within Tuala shopping centre.
His mother, Ms Nancy Sifuna,27, told The Nation on Thursday she last saw her son on December 20.
“I last saw my cheerful son alive in the afternoon when he came for lunch from nearby play field. He requested to talk to his dad but he was taking a nap. I promised to alert him before I went to church but left before the father could wake up. When I returned home by 6pm, my son was not at home,” she recalled in tears.
That evening, the boy, who was at PP1 in a nearby school, never returned home.
After a frantic search by the family and neighbours bore no fruit, the matter was reported at Oloosirkon Police Station under OB No 10/20/12/2023.
The family went on to file another report at Kitengela Police Station which is 30 Kilometers away, but they were referred back to Tuala Police Station.
On Sunday December 24, the body of the boy was discovered floating in the abandoned pit latrine, some 250 meters from the family’s home by his friends, according to the boy’s father, Mr Ezekiel Isabwa.
“The body was discovered by children playing within the area. The hole was covered with soil immediately the body was retrieved. It’s a big blow for my family to lose our only child,” said Mr Isabwa.
Isinya Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers visited the bereaved family to record statements on December 27, three days after the body.
“We are seeking justice for our son. He was a bright boy with his aspirations. It seems his death was premeditated. Let security agents speed up the investigations,” said Mr Isabwa.
