A viral video showing a father in Nakuru brutally caning his son has sparked widespread outrage and a manhunt by the authorities.

The father, who remains at large, fled his home in the early hours of Friday, June 21, before an attempted arrest could be carried out.

The man, identified as Kenneth Otieno, took his eight-year-old son with him, potentially putting the child’s safety at risk.

In the video, the man is seen using a belt to beat his son. At one point, he even removed the child’s clothes to continue the beating.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported that the man became aware of the impending arrest after some Kenyans began sharing details of his location online. This allowed him to make a hasty escape.

“Unfortunately, getting wind that the police were hot on his trail, the man identified as Kenneth Otieno disappeared with the young boy in the wee hours of today morning, just moments before our detectives knocked at his door in Nakuru,” DCI boss Mohamed Amin said in a statement.

The police have now extended the manhunt for the Nakuru-based father, appealing to the public to provide any information that could assist in locating and rescuing the child.

While the exact reason for the incident is yet to be established, the father was heard questioning the child about not following instructions, failure to attend school and general indiscipline.

The authorities have expressed concern for the safety of the young boy, who could be in danger given the severe mistreatment witnessed in the viral video.

“We appeal to anyone who has information that could assist in rescuing the kid to share with us by reporting at any police station or call our #FichuakwaDCI hotline 0800 722 203,” Amin added.