A Kenya Wildlife Service ranger has testified before the Nakuru Law Courts, describing how a detained suspect escaped while under his watch at Lake Nakuru National Park. The officer also told the court the incident affected his career, delayed his promotion, and marked the beginning of a lengthy criminal investigation involving several fellow KWS officers.

Kenya Wildlife Service ranger Abdirahman Ali Sudi, who is also a park driver, on 3rd August 2026 testified in Brian Odhiambo’s disappearance case at the Lake Nakuru National Park. While being cross-examined at Nakuru Law Court, Ali said on the fateful day he was asked to pick his fellow rangers from their bases, namely Alpha 1, 3 and 5 and take them to Sewage, an operational area within the park.

When he arrived, a suspect was transferred to his vehicle, a closed body Land Cruiser registration number KAL 131U, under the order of his immediate supervisor, Sergeant Francis Wachira, and ordered to take him to the sentry-box near the park gate.

“The suspect was tied with a yellow manila rope around his hands, and had a white sack tied around his waist,’’ Sudi says

Sudi says he spent some time at the sentry chatting away with his female colleague who was manning the place, and occasionally questioning the suspect in the car through the window. That is when the suspect said that his name was Kilonzo. On a further probe as to why he had trespassed into the park, the suspect said it was because life was difficult.

 Later on, Senior Inspector Francis Wachira ordered Sudi to join them in the sewage area while still carrying the suspect alone. On his way, Sudi says the suspect, who was now known to him only as Kilonzo, requested that he let him have a short call.

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“I untied him and escorted him to a nearby bush to relieve himself, after he finished as he was getting into the vehicle, he punched me in my rib and I fell down.” Sudi says.

The suspect took off into the bush running; the driver tried to pursue him in vain because he was still hurting from the blow. When asked why he didn’t shoot in the air to warn the fleeing suspect, Sudi said that he didn’t want to scare the tourists who were nearby in the park, and also that the situation looked manageable.

He drove off to lay an ambush ahead of the direction the suspect had fled, hoping to recapture him, but was unlucky after several minutes in the bush; that is when he informed his senior sergeant, Francis Wachira, who was infuriated after hearing that.

Sudi proceeded into Observation Point (OP), an elevated area within the park for animal observation, and scanned the surroundings using his binoculars, but didn’t spot anything unusual. He then proceeded back to base.

He had just stayed for three days at Nakuru National Park after his transfer from Tsavo National Park. He says this incident has cost him his promotion and caused emotional turmoil from frequent trips to Nairobi to record statements.

Sudi said that they were called to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices in Nakuru on 22nd January 2025 to only record a statement to assist in investigations. Immediately after that, they were locked up in police cells as suspects. That was the beginning of a long court process.

Principal Magistrate Kipkurui Kibelion adjourned the case to 24th August 2026 when the next accused ranger will testify.