Senate’s Site Visit to Lake Nakuru Flops as Security Forces Pull Out

A planned field visit by the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations to Lake Nakuru on Friday failed to take place as scheduled, raising concerns about transparency in the investigation into a fisherman’s disappearance and the displacement of local communities. The committee had intended to inspect two key sites — Park View in Nakuru East and Manyani in Nakuru West — following the enforced disappearance of fisherman Brian Odhiambo on January 18, 2025.
Committee members spent more than three hours at the County Commissioner’s office engaging with security officials. However, the combined security team comprising the County Police Commander, County Commissioner, Administration Police and the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) declined to accompany them to the identified sites, citing intelligence that residents planned to cause a public disturbance following the visit.
Local activist Tom Mboya criticised the move, saying the committee wasted public resources travelling from Nairobi only to meet in a board‑room. He and village elders had mobilised communities to meet the delegation and share first‑hand accounts of displacement and illegal fishing.
Senator Fatuma Dullo, committee chair, confirmed that over 500 people had been displaced due to rising water levels at Lake Nakuru and that unemployment is driving illegal fishing activity.
Despite this, she lamented the limited progress, noting that the inquiry into Odhiambo’s disappearance and alleged human‑rights violations cannot move forward if the committee cannot access the affected areas. Activists and residents are now calling for a full commission of inquiry to examine the alleged role of security agencies, KWS and other stakeholders in the ongoing crisis.