Where is Sila Kibet? Soy family in desperate search for kin who vanished 4 years ago
Rift Valley
By
Stephen Rutto
| Feb 26, 2026
A family in Soy, Uasin Gishu County, is in a desperate search for their kin who disappeared in Mombasa four years ago.
Sila Kibet had left his Sinonin Village in Soy to take up a motor vehicle mechanics job in Mombasa in 2019, but mysteriously went missing on June 11, 2021. He was 35 years old at the time.
His vanishing heralded years of anguish for his family, who have been searching for him since then.
Kibet’s father, the late Wilson Lelei, slipped into depression soon after the disappearance of his son, and eventually passed away in 2023 after battling high blood pressure, the agonised family says.
READ MORE
Agoa renewal offers new chance to redefine Africa's place in global trade
Iran war hits kitchens as shilling slumps, forex reserves dwindle
China woos Kenyan producers with '800-million opportunity' as zero-tariff deal takes effect
Co-op bank shares set for further gains on strong profit growth, lower rates
Kenya slashes dollar debt to record low as Chinese yuan gains ground
Government plans stricter laws to clean up tea sector
Tourism earnings hit record Sh500 billion as arrivals near 8m
Kakamega youth, women eye avocado export cash after skills training
Portable kitchen: Designer taps into space-saving trend
Kenya urged to pilot AI regulatory Sandbox in bid to lead Africa's digital future
His mother, Emily Lelei, says she has never had a calm night's sleep since Kibet's disappearance.
Ms Lelei says her missing son had started supporting her and his father after his move to Mombasa, and that the family faced numerous hurdles after he went missing, never to be found.
“He was a good boy. He studied motor vehicle mechanics,” the emotional mother says.
He recalls: “Before he went missing, he told me that he was coming home. He said he was unwell. I told him to come home, and he said he was only waiting to be paid his salary before travelling.”
Ms Lelei was eagerly waiting to embrace Kibet a day after he went missing. She says her son was planning to travel home when she suddenly disappeared hours later.
“The morning of the day he went missing, he informed me that he was coming home that evening. That is the last time I heard from my son,” she says.
He describes her sixth-born child as a generous son who helped her whenever she needed anything.
Kibet’s brother, Abraham Kosgei, says his missing kin plied their trade at Mazeras and lived in Bangladesh.
Kosgei says the family learnt about Kibet’s disappearance on June 15 after a co-worker called their mother on June 15 and informed her that their kin had not reported to work since June 12.
“He was a mechanic in a transport company in Mombasa. A day before he went missing, he called home saying he would travel to Sinonin the following day. The individual who called us from my missing brother’s workplace said he last reported to work on June 11, 2021, and his whereabouts were unknown. He sought to know whether he had come to Uasin Gishu, and we told them that he was not at home,” says Kosgei.
On Jun 17, Kosgei says, the family sent him to Mombasa to search for his missing brother everywhere in the coastal city.
Kosgei says he began by reporting the matter to the police in Bangladesh, Mombasa, and combed through several hospitals and morgues.
“His house was not locked, and his belongings were intact. We spoke to his neighbours in Mombasa, and they informed us that they saw him on June 11, but they didn’t spot him the following day,” he remembers.
He goes on to state: “Our father, who was disturbed by the disappearance, died in 2023 after suffering depression for months. I’m appealing to state agencies to help us find him, dead or alive.
“We first reported the disappearance at a police station, and the police promised to try to trace him. I went back to the same station and informed officers that we had not found him. We also visited many hospitals and their mortuaries, and there were no reports about him.”
He says his missing brother was a quiet man who never provoked anyone.
Eudiah Songok, a neighbour, said the illness and the death of Kibet’s father complicated the search for the missing son.
“When the father became sick with conditions like high blood pressure, it became difficult to continue the search. The family has been seeking closure of the disappearance. The family wants to bury him if he is dead,” Ms Songok said.
Another neighbour, Rose Maundu, who was Kibet’s primary school teacher, described the missing man as humble and hardworking.
“The family has been in a state of devastation since the Kibet’s disappearance,” she stated.
MOST READ
- Iran war hits kitchens as shilling slumps, forex reserves dwindle
BUSINESS
By Brian Ngugi
- China woos Kenyan producers with '800-million opportunity' as zero-tariff deal takes effect
BUSINESS
By Brian Ngugi
- Co-op bank shares set for further gains on strong profit growth, lower rates
BUSINESS
By Brian Ngugi