Found in hours, missing for months: KWS faces backlash after family rescue

A prompt rescue operation by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to locate a missing family in Tsavo East National Park has drawn mixed reactions online, with critics questioning the agency's inconsistency in responding to similar cases.

The family, a couple and their two children—was reported missing on Monday this week while camping at Tsavo Trust.

According to KWS, they entered the park on Saturday at 5:40pm through Manyani Gate and were scheduled to spend two nights at the Lugard Falls Special Campsite, exiting via Sala Gate by Monday evening.

An immediate search was launched after the family failed to check out by the 8:00pm deadline.

They were eventually found near Kabaguchi Ranger Camp, on the remote Yatta Plateau—approximately 50 kilometers north of their planned route.

A KWS pilot located them and confirmed all four were safe and in good health. "Haller immediately landed his helicopter and confirmed that all four individuals were unharmed and in good health," said KWS on Tuesday.

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Authorities believe that the family had veered off their authorised route while on a game drive.

While many lauded KWS for the prompt rescue, others used the opportunity to criticise the agency’s handling of previous disappearance cases, especially that of 31-year-old fisherman Brian Odhiambo, who went missing on January 18, under unclear circumstances.

Odhiambo’s family claims he was arrested by KWS officers on the day he disappeared, yet no official record of his detention exists. His relatives now fear he may have been killed and buried within the park.

On social media, Kenyans questioned why the same urgency was not applied in Odhiambo’s case.

‘’Really shameful that the Kenyan government hates Kenyans. You haven't accounted for the missing Brian Odhiambo whom your rangers (sic), tortured, and probably killed,’’ wrote Sitati Wasilwa on X.

“Now we want Brian. Use the same energy; Lake Nakuru will not take you more than two hours,'' Moses Kibet posted.

Another user said, “That was fast! Extend the same response to Brian Odhiambo. His family needs closure.”

Cases of people disappearing in Kenya’s national parks appear to be on the rise, often under murky circumstances—raising questions about safety in protected areas.