Nairobi — When Mama Jane Akech, 70, bid her first born son James Ochieng' goodbye early one morning in May, she did not know that this farewell would lead to months of agony.

Mr Ochieng', her first born son in a family of eight, had travelled to the rural home in Sakwa, Bondo district, for a weekend stay to see his ailing mother. The son also bore good news that he had just been promoted to the enviable position of District Accountant in Nakuru.

Shared his joy

"He seemed so happy with the promotion and shared his joy with me even as I was bed-ridden. It helped cheer me up," recounts his mother, her eyes welling with tears. Her poor memory wavers, and she can't seem to recollect the exact date when she last spoke to him.

The effort to get her facts rights only triggers more pain and more tears. After an overnight stay in the village, Mr Ochieng' was ready to get back to his work station in Nakuru, and he woke his mother up early in the morning to say good bye. "He asked me what I needed in the house so that next time he came around he would get it for me," recalls Mama Akech.

After the niceties between the mother and her beloved son, she wished him a safe journey and he travelled back. "That was the last time I spoke with and saw my son," says Mama Akech in a grief-laden voice, unable to wipe away the tears streaming down her face.

Was last seen

It has now been three months since that July 17 afternoon that police say he was last seen boarding a vehicle to Nairobi where he reportedly checked into a hotel. An agonising search for Mr Ochieng has seen the family visit hospitals, mortuaries and police stations around the country to no avail.

Following the reports made to the police, the family then placed missing person adverts in the daily newspapers on August 23 and 24 hoping that someone who knew his whereabouts might volunteer the information, or he might miraculously reappear himself. But even this has not yielded any fruit.

A beloved son and brother seems to have gone for good, and the family's hopes are dwindling. "We are appealing to the Government to help us find James. We want him back in any shape and form," said his younger brother Paul Akech during an interview with journalists in Nakuru town.

The family has all but given up hope that he will ever be found alive. Mr Ochieng's journey into mystery can be traced back to that fateful day in May, when he started his journey to Nairobi ostensibly to meet his superiors. That meeting never came to be, and instead his younger sister received a call on July 17 from a workmate at the office informing her that Mr Ochieng' had not been to work for weeks.

The workmate hoped that she knew where he was. The family members travelled to Nairobi and reported the incident at the Central Police Station, where they filed a report with the Criminal Investigations Department and the case is under investigation.

"We only got calls from pranksters, jokers and imposters saying they had spotted him and if we loaded their phones with air time they would tell us where he was," said Paul. He said the family received many phone calls of that nature even at odd hours of the night, and it only added to their trauma and anguish.

Several stations

Mr Ochieng' has worked in several stations in his long career, including Kiambu, Suba, Gucha, and lately Nakuru. He has a family but was not living together with his wife at the time of his disappearance. He lived alone in Section 58 in Nakuru Town. His brother Paul said they haven't contacted his family about the disappearance because they stopped communicating with his wife when they separated.

He couldn't reveal whether the police had found any suspects in the case saying that it would jeopardize investigations. "The sea of speculation is deep and wide and I can't say who is a suspect and who is not. Maybe even members of our family are suspected but I can't comment on that because the police are very secretive about their work and I don't want to be seen to jeopardise investigations," he said.

The missing man is described as humble, hard working and very generous. "He paid for my university fees and also put our younger brother through school. That's how generous he was," said Paul. Nakuru District Commissioner, under whom Mr Ochieng' worked, was out of town when his office was contacted but he promised to brief journalists on the matter as soon as he got back.