Missing Embakasi East IEBC returning officer Daniel Mbolu Musyoka’s family speaks

Hours after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced that its Embakasi East Returning Officer Daniel Mbolu Musyoka was missing, the officer’s family has spoken for the first time, lifting the lid on how the news affected them.

In an interview with the press, the missing officer’s sister identified as Veronica Njeri Mwangi explained that they were shocked to learn of his disappearance.

Njeri urged anyone with information that could help in tracing the missing officer to volunteer the same and expressed hope that he will be found.

"As a family, we were surprised upon hearing that he went missing. We pray that he is safe. We are very positive that he will be found. We urge Kenyans to help in finding him. If you have any information, please come forth with it," Njeri said.

Musyoka’s colleagues at the electoral body recounted that during the three day-period that they worked together, he was a sound and calm man.

"We know him as a sound and calm person, so I don't think there was any trouble in terms of work. I urge the government to help in locating him," Julius Maingi, a fellow IEBC official who worked with Musyoka stated.

K24 TV journalist Franklin Wallah who interviewed Musyoka’s family also recounted the missing officer’s final moments at the tallying centre, noting that Musyoka looked very tired after a grueling vote tallying process.

"I saw him that day on Thursday, August 11, and can confirm that he was tired because of the long-tenured process of counting the votes. When he left the centre, we began asking questions as to where he had gone but we were informed that he had gone to get some rest. That is when yesterday, Chebukati gave the information that he had gone missing," Wallah noted.

A senior police officer based in Embakasi East told the press that they have some leads which they are following and are hoping to locate Musyoka using his phone's last detectable signal.

The police noted that different teams have been dispatched to comb through the city and pursue different leads in a bid to trace the missing officer who had not slept for three days after the vote tallying process began.

"To date, we are still on the hunt following his trail. We talked to the family and made resolutions on how they will help security officers to find him. We have dispatched various teams who will be going around Nairobi in general and also Embakasi," he noted.

"We found the report and began the investigations. The information I have is we're doing analysis and it's going to assist us in locating the official. My plea is that anyone who has any leads can bring forth the information to the nearest police station," the officer explained.