By Elvis Lagat
Machakos County legislator Dominic Maitha, who had been reported missing on Tuesday, was found safe and well on Wednesday evening after a nearly 24-hour disappearance. Maitha, the elected representative for Muthwani ward, reappeared and confirmed he was in good health, dismissing earlier claims of abduction.
"I’m okay. I wasn’t kidnapped, but I was being pursued by individuals on motorcycles," Maitha stated during a phone interview on Thursday.
Maitha's sudden disappearance sparked concern after his family reported him missing to the Machakos police on Tuesday evening. However, his phones, which had been turned off when the report was filed, were switched back on, leading to contact with him.
The MCA explained that he had deliberately put his phones in flight mode and went into hiding to evade a group of men he suspected were hired thugs pursuing him. Maitha shared that he was followed by three men on two motorcycles after leaving a hotel in Machakos Township. As he grew increasingly uneasy, he sought refuge in a hotel on the outskirts of town before eventually making his way to a hideout in Athi River.
According to Maitha, the events unfolded after he left a hotel in Machakos town late on Monday night. "I noticed a man standing by the wall wearing a black hood, and my car headlights illuminated him. He whistled and shouted, 'He's here,'" Maitha recalled. The situation quickly escalated when he saw two motorcycles parked at key exit points, one facing the road toward Kathwanze – Kangundo and the other across the street, with a rider and passenger on board.
Feeling threatened, Maitha decided to take precautionary measures. "My first instinct was to put my phone on flight mode because I wasn’t sure who they were. Nowadays, you can’t be sure whether they’re police officers or hired goons," he said. He then made a series of quick maneuvers, heading toward the Golf Club and making a U-turn at the Kobil petrol station, steering his car in the direction of Nairobi.
After noticing the motorcycles tailing him, Maitha drove to a nearby hotel to assess the situation before continuing on to Athi River, where he checked into a hotel around 1:00 am on Tuesday. He kept his phones off for safety reasons and refrained from calling his family. "I was cautious about my safety and didn’t think of calling my wife or anyone else in my family. I was focused on the danger I had witnessed," Maitha explained.
The MCA remained in his hotel room until Wednesday morning, when staff woke him up at 11:00 am, prompting him to reconnect with the outside world.
Maitha’s family and supporters were relieved to learn that he had been unharmed and had simply taken extreme measures to ensure his safety. Despite his frightening ordeal, he assured the public that there was no abduction or foul play involved, although he remains concerned about the motives of those who pursued him.
The police are investigating the situation, as they seek to identify the individuals who followed the legislator.
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