Tuesday, January 06, 2015
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- A Kenyan businessman is reported to have gone missing along the Kenya-Somalia border, where he went to repair his broken vehicle.
The 60-year-old Josphat Mwangi Mbuthia was last seen in Falama village, Ijara division Hullugho sub-County on Thursday, according to the police.
Garissa County Police Commander Charles Kinyua said on Sunday the father of five from central Kenya was reported missing by people who were with him shortly before his disappearance.
The local police commander said the man came to the area after his truck, which was hired to work for local constructors, broke down and developed a mechanical problem.
"The businessman is reported to have lost in Falama area between Ijara and Hullugho sub-counties in Garissa," Kinyua said.
According to two mechanics that were last with him, the prominent trader had walked away from them in search of better mobile phone network coverage before he went missing.
He said despite they can’t rule out an act of criminality, adding that they are currently treating the matter as a case of a missing person until otherwise proved.
"The area where the man went missing is close to the Boni forest, where there were previous incidents of people being kidnapped or killed by Somali militiamen, but it is too early to speculate that at the moment," Kinyua said.
He said security officers were mobilized from both Hullugho and Ijara sub-counties to comb the expansive forest on foot to trace for the missing man, adding that the local community in settlements near the area was also helping the security personnel to find the victim.
Source: Xinhua