Fear has gripped locals living within Langas estate on the outskirts of Eldoret town following a recent wave of mysterious disappearances.
So far, human rights activist claim, at least 30 children mostly aged 8 and below have disappeared.
Their parents and guardians have no idea of where they are or who took them.
How children in Langas have disappeared
Jenifer Achieng is one of the many parents that have fallen victims to the mysterious disappearances of the children.
Her one-year old went missing as she was playing with her peers outside their house on January 4, 2024.
“When I went to get her for tea, the other children said they couldn’t find her. We searched everywhere with neighbors’ help, but nobody knew where she went. The children playing with her said a woman came and took her away, but they don’t know where the woman went,” Achieng painfully recounted.
Within Thekatheka area in Langas estate is also a similar story.
Josephine Mwihaki has been looking for her 9-year-old granddaughter. She she has been missing from February 24, 2024.
“The day she went missing, it was on a Saturday. They had not gone to school,” Mwihaki says.
These are just some of the painful of parents and guardians in Langas area, an expansive informal settlement area.
Langas police accused of laxity
Activists blame the police over the rise of the cases. They claim the officers takes reports of a missing child lightly.
“Over 30 children missing without a trace is not a joke yet the police take such reports lightly,” said Benson Juma, an activist.
Similar sentiments were shared by his colleague – Kimutai Kurui.
Kirui linked the disappearances of the children to questionable churches within the Langas area.
He called for a probe into their operations.
“We are concerned that certain churches within the Langas informal settlement could be behind the increased cases of disappearances of young children, specifically young girls. We demand a probe into some of the said churches,” Kirui said.
Reached for a comment, Kapseret Sub County Deputy Sub-County Police Commander Sarah Chumo said only four cases had been reported.
She however blamed the four cases to parent’s negligence.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that schools within the area have implemented a new mode of operations that require parents or guardians to sign a form when dropping and picking the children.
