'Beatings, torture and killings,' History of abuses at Lake Nakuru Park

For the last two weeks, protests have hit various parts of Nakuru town following the disappearance of 31-year-old fisherman Brian Odhiambo.

The disappearance now lifts the lid on what seems to have been a systemic web of corruption involving Kenya Wildlife Service officers spanning a four-year period, where the officers have been accused of assault and even killing persons found fishing within Lake Nakuru.

Citizen TV visited the area where fishy dealings around Lake Nakuru have left a trail of muffled cries for justice and the trade of fish that had been declared unfit for human consumption.

Beneath the rays of the morning sun that illuminates Nakuru and its environs, a blanket of sadness still covers the home of Jane Wanjiru at Baruti 41 estate.

The house is still full of pictures of 19-year-old Kevin Ganire, who died reportedly at the hands of KWS officers.

In April 2024, Jane and her 19-year-old nephew went out on a fishing expedition in Lake Nakuru. Kevin, who had just cleared his secondary education, had joined his aunt in fishing, hoping to raise funds for higher education. But as fate would have it, the darkness of one night claimed the college hopeful.

“Ilikua kitu saa tatu ya usiku, mimi kusikia kelele nikasikia boat imeguruma, nikajaribu kumsaidia lakini nikajua sitaweza. Kukuja nikaona boat imempita na askari mmoja kwa hiyo boat akasema kuna gashia hapa, mkubwa akasema ichukuwe uiweke hapa ndani. Hapo mimi nikatoka nikajua nitampata Bondeni polisi. Kesho yake nikaenda Bondeni sikumpata, hiyo kesho nyingine nikarudi huko sikumpata. Siku tatu baadaye tukapata mwili kwa maji kwa lake, walituulia ndoto ya mtoto wetu,” said Jane Wanjiru.

A few kilometres away at Mzee Wanyama estate, another family is still in mourning. The family of 24-year-old Samuel Maingi is yet to come to terms with his death.

In June, Maingi left home with eight of his friends for a fishing expedition in Lake Nakuru. He would, however, return home in a casket, his body bearing bullet wounds.

“Mimi nilimpigia simu nikapata simu yake ni mteja. Nikaenda kwenye alikuwa anaishi na landlord wake, akaniambia Maingi ameuawa, na ameuliwa akienda kutega samaki. Na kwa kweli hiyo ndiyo kazi alikuwa anafanya. Na landlord akasema amepigiwa simu na CID na nikuchukua hiyo number nikapiga, akaniuliza mimi ni nani kwa Maingi, nikasema mimi ni aunt wake. Akasema Maingi ameuawa na ako mortuary. Kwenda tukapata ameandikiwa eti ako na pistol lakini hiyo pistol hatukuona na Maingi hakuwa na kesi au kushikwa,” Jane Maingi said.

Lake Nakuru is found within Lake Nakuru National Park, which is listed as a protected area. In 2021, the then CAS for agriculture, Lina Kilimo, basing her directive on a report commissioned by the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute, advised the county government of Nakuru to ban fishing in the lake due to heavy pollution.

A similar warning came in 2024 when then Maritime and Blue Economy CS Salim Mvurya indicated that the fish from Lake Nakuru was found to have traces of arsenic, a chemical compound that causes cancer, declaring the fish unfit for human consumption.

However, the scars borne by Moses Olwenyi uncover an intricate web of fishy dealings between fishermen and officers from the Kenya Wildlife Service, where a monetary exchange of between Ksh.5,000 to 20,000 grants you safe passage to fish in the lake. He and others, however, carry horror stories of deals gone wrong during the fishing expeditions.

“Nilishikwa na game wakanipiga. Walikua ofisa sita na hao ndiyo walikua wamenipanga kazi tukaelewana nikitoka niwape pesa. Wakanitoa nguo na walikua na pipes zenye ndani zina wire na marungu. Wakanipiga hadi chini ya miguu, wakanitoa nguo zote. Nikasikia wakisema huyu hawezi toka wacha wanyama wamkule. Nikajivuta for two days nikafika kwa fence mahali kwenye huwa natumia 30 minutes kupita,” a fisherman Moses Olwenyi said.

According to the Protected Areas Act, any person who trespasses into an area classified as a protected area is guilty of an offence and is liable to a prison term not exceeding two years or a fine not exceeding Ksh.5,000, or both.

Recent events, including the disappearance of Brian Odhiambo, have intensified accountability calls and demands for lawful interventions.

“Sisi kama familia tunasema heri wangemshika wampleke court afungwe tuwe tunaenda kumuona huko kushinda kumuua. Hii haki hatuwezi pata ya huyo mtoto. Akiwa mdogo sana hatukua na uwezo wa kufuatilia haki yake, tukasema wacha tu tumzike na tusahau,” Jane Maingi added.

Jane Wanjiru a resident, Mzee Wanyama said, “Mimi kwangu sikukua naamini hata kilio kenya nililia, nilikua nalia nikijiuliza aje? Mtoto wa dadangu ndiye anajitafutia aende university. Hata wangemshika wamweke ndani tungekuwa tunaenda tunamwona hata akiwa jela lakini walimuua.”

Our efforts to reach KWS for answers did not bear fruit, with Assistant Director David Oyugi, who is in charge of the park, rebuffing our attempts to engage him. County commissioner Loyford Kibaara said he did not want to address the matter but pointed out that the park is a protected area.

The case involving the disappearance of 31-year-old Brian Odhiambo is up for mention on the 6th of February.