When we arrived at their home in Kiratina, the mood was sombre. Family members, neighbours and friends had gathered under a tent for a committee meeting to plan the burial of one-year-and-two-month-old Isaac Francis, the toddler who had gone missing two weeks earlier and was found dead in a drainage channel in the same neighbourhood.

Isaac’s father, Mr Bernard Masanga, recounted the devastating moment when he received the news on October 17.

“I was at work when a woman phoned me and told me to go to Dafra immediately to confirm whether the child found in the drainage channel was mine. When I arrived, I immediately recognised my son from the blue shoes he had been wearing on the day he disappeared,” he said, fighting back tears.

Unable to tell his wife the news himself, he asked her to come to the scene in the hope that she would find the strength he lacked.

Mr Masanga believes that his son’s death was not accidental. He suspects foul play, arguing that the boy may have been killed elsewhere and later dumped in the drainage system.

Bernard Masanga at his home in Kiratina on October 19, 2025. His son, Isaac Francis, who was one year and two months old, went missing from their home in Kiratina on October 4, 2025, only to be found dead two weeks later in Dafra.

Photo credit: Purity Kinuthia/Mtaa Wangu

"We passed that spot several times during our search and never saw anything. If the body had been there for two weeks, it would have decomposed badly. Something doesn’t add up,” he says.

Isaac’s mother, Celestine Anyona, recalled the horrific state of her son’s body when it was found.

“My baby had head injuries, was missing a shoe and a sock, and his hair had been shaved. His hair had been shaved off, his eyes appeared to have been gouged out and he was wearing a nappy that I had not put on him that day. I could not believe that swollen body was my child,” she said, her voice breaking.

The mother of four believes that her son’s killing may have been an act of revenge.

“Before Isaac disappeared, a neighbour I had argued with once told me that she would do something I would never forget. I can’t help but feel this was connected,” she said.

The family, who make their livelihood as casual labourers, are now appealing for help to raise funds for a post-mortem examination and burial arrangements.

New Content Item (1) — Celestine Anyona at their home in Kiratina on October 19, 2025.

Photo credit: Purity Kinuthia/Mtaa Wangu

“We need about Sh20,000 for the post-mortem so that we can find out what really happened. We are also trying to raise money to transport the body to Kakamega for burial,” said Mr Masanga.

Francis King’ori, an elder from Kiratina Nyumba Kumi, said the incident had shocked residents and urged parents to remain vigilant.

“This is the first case of this kind in Kiratina, but there have been several cases of missing children in our neighbouring Free Area. We are asking parents to be especially careful during the holidays,” he said.

Nakuru County Police Commander Emmanuel Epuru confirmed that investigations are underway, though no arrests have yet been made.

“It will take time before we make any arrests because this case requires thorough investigation. The child went missing on October 4 and was found in a decomposed state," he said.

This tragedy comes barely three weeks after Prince Nathan, a child who went missing in Njoro, was found dead in the River Ndarugu.

As little Isaac’s family prepares for his funeral, the Kiratina community remains gripped by fear and unanswered questions: wondering how could such cruelty befall a child so young.

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