Pain and questions after missing Kiminini man found dead in Cambodia

A family in Kiminini Constituency, Trans Nzoia County, is crying out for justice after their son went missing, only to be confirmed dead in Cambodia under mysterious circumstances.

The family is now demanding a thorough government investigation into his disappearance and urgent assistance to bring his body back home.

Citizen TV visited Muthangari village, where the family has been trapped in an endless cycle of mourning since receiving the devastating news that their son, Mohamud Abdi, died five months ago.

His body, they say, has been lying at a Pagoda facility along the Thailand–Cambodia border since October last year.

The family says he went missing one day, and they have no clear answers on how he ended up in Cambodia.

The family recounts receiving conflicting reports—first about his death, then about an alleged cremation.

They say even before they could process the loss, confusion deepened after receiving an email, allegedly from the Kenyan embassy in Thailand, directing them to cater for repatriation costs.

“Januari nikaona barua inakuja kutoka embassy ya Kenya inasema wewe ndio Halima na unaeza kujua kijana anaitwa Muhamud… wakasema amekufa ako mochari," said Halima.

A neighbour, Peter Wanyonyi, added: "Kitu ya kushangaza ilisemekana walichoma, sasa tukakaa hapa tukaongojea majivu, majivu hayakufika mpaka hivi leo. Sasa kitu ya kushangaza tunapata habari kwamba hapana, mwili iko kule, amekwama kule.”

The family says they remain in the dark about how their kin ended up in a foreign land and the circumstances leading to his death.

They are now calling on the government to investigate the matter and help repatriate his remains for burial in Kenya, saying it would offer them some closure.

“Tafadhali Rais wetu kama unaweza kutuletea mwili, naomba tafadhali. Tumesumbukana sana kwa ajili ya huyu mtoto… hatuna mbele wala nyuma," a sister to the deceased, Asha Abdi, said.

The family’s plight reflects a growing and disturbing trend of young Kenyans disappearing after being lured by promises of jobs abroad, only to resurface in distressing—and sometimes fatal—circumstances.