Joseph Odhiambo, a Form Four student in Awendo, Migori County, Kenya, was detained by police after he allegedly staged his own kidnapping.
The 22-year-old secondary school student from Kisii County vanished from his home on January 5, 2023.
The student’s mother reported him missing on January 6 according to Awendo Sub-County Police Commander Mathias Pombo, who confirmed the development on Wednesday.
The student, who has since returned home, allegedly confessed to smearing cow blood on his vest and screaming in agony before fleeing his mother’s house, according to Pombo.
The man told police that his friend had advised him to do that in order to obtain money from his mother.
The student told police that he purchased the cow blood earlier on January 5 from a market in Awendo and kept it under his bed in a house just a few feet away from his mother’s.
The Police Commander said, “Shortly after wishing his mother good night at 9 pm and departing for his house, he made a sharp distress call. When his mother rushed to his house, she only found her son’s blood-soaked vest.”
The mother of the student went to the Awendo police station the following morning and reported her missing son.
The man admitted to the police that he had slept in a maize plantation that night (January 5) in his confession.
The next day, he travelled to Ranen, where he camped out in an incomplete building for two nights (January 6 and 7).
After learning that his mother would not be able to raise the Sh20,000 he had demanded as ransom on Sunday, January 8, he spent the night at his friend’s house before beginning his journey back home.
The man admitted to the police that he had tried to trick his single mother into sending him money so he could use it to pay for school fees.
When asked about her son’s actions, the mother said they were embarrassing and denied that he had any actual fee balance.
While investigations are ongoing, the suspect is being held in custody at the Awendo Police Station.
Photos of his concerned mother and other family members speaking to reporters following the “staged abduction” are shown below.
