Emotions ran high at the Nakuru Law Courts on Thursday, February 6 after Justice Julius Nangea declined to issue further orders in a case of missing fisherman Brian Odhiambo.

Odhiambo’s family, including his wife and mother, broke into tears and wails at the court premises after Justice Nangea dismissed the case, citing a lack of sufficient evidence to prove that indeed the fisherman was in the custody of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) at the time of his disappearance.

Odhiambo went missing on January 18, 2025, the day he was reportedly arrested by KWS officers at the Lake Nakuru National Park.

For Odhiambo’s family, it has been 20 days of traumatic and emotional searching, leaving no stones unturned, to find their loved one. But with each passing day, the hope of finding him slowly faded.

Last week, David Oyugi — a KWS officer and the assistant director of Lake Nakuru National Park — appeared in court to explain the whereabouts of the missing fisherman.

Oyugi told the court that Odhiambo was arrested by his officers on January 18, however, he escaped from custody. On this same day, 10 other suspects were arrested and taken to Bondeni Police Station.

“We arrested the suspect for trespassing the park. He escaped before we booked him and we could not tell who he was,” said Oyugi who went ahead to insinuate that the suspect who escaped was not Odhiambo.

During cross-examination, Oyugi told the court that Odhiambo escaped from the park’s vehicle after he was allowed to relieve himself. The lawyers, however, could not fathom how Odhiambo was not handcuffed, yet he had been arrested, and how he was able to run for five kilometers while his hands were tied up.

There are reports that the suspect was assaulted, with officer Oyugi refuting these claims.