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National Assembly majority leader Benjamin Washiali whose disappearance caused a stir hours to the Building Bridges Initiative rally in Kakamega has resurfaced close to 24 hours later.
Washiali who is also the Mumias East lawmaker has since dismissed reports that he was abducted, stating that he went into hiding to evade the police who were pursuing him.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations detectives delved into the matter and established that the MP communicated to his bodyguard Robert Wabuko on his mobile phone and told him he was safe in Kisumu.
“DCI officers established that at 16.16 hours the said MP communicated to his body guard Robert Wabuko through his usual cellphone line and confirmed that he was safe in Kisumu,” read a report clarifying his whereabouts.
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The MP is reported to have gone missing on Friday at around midnight with all his phones switched off even as his colleagues engaged in frantic efforts to trace him and pointing an accusing finger at the police.
His disappearance was made public yesterday by former sports CS Rashid Echesa and Bonny Khalwale who linked the police to his arrest, giving an ultimatum of two hours for the police to disclose his whereabouts.
The politicians, flanked by a host of MPs made their way to to Shianda Police Station to demand an explanation on the whereabouts of Washiali.
MPs Justus Murunga (Matungu), John Waluke (Sirisia), Didmus Barasa (Kiminini), Dan Wanyama (Webuye West) and Charles Gimose (Hamisi) are among the lawmakers who were teargassed shortly after making their way to the police station.
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"Our chief whip has been missing and cannot be found on phone. We are here to ask police to tell us about his whereabouts." said Weluke.
Former sports CS Rashid Echesa linked trade union boss Francies Atwoli with the disappearence, maintaining that he had arned that the leaders would not make it to the meeting.
"Atwoli is on record saying he would ensure that all of us, leaders of the planned Mumias rally, are locked in our houses," Echesa stated.