# Case Number 2
Paul was a farmer living with his family in Kitale . He kept a herd of cattle and owned a large farm in which he planted maize . He was a seasoned farmer and by the standards of the village , he was doing well .
In the year 2020 , he was noted to have become very religious . As days went by , he sank deeper and deeper into religion and soon decided to sell all his cattle and moved out of their home . He told his son that he had gone to Kitale town to seek employment . While away , he kept on communicating with his son and as days went by , he could call his son , demanding that his son send him Ksh 200 for food . He claimed that he had no money for food . This surprised his son who he had told that he was working in Kitale . His son could send him money anytime he called . He was however unwilling to tell his son where he was .
At one time when his son called him , he could not be reached despite his phone being on . Upon calling back later , he told his son that he had gone to fetch water far away from where he was living , for there was scarcity of water . This sent alarm bells ringing in the head of his son . Kitale , being an agricultural area , is ever wet so his son could not understand what his father was saying . In his mind , he started suspecting that his father way lying about his whereabouts . He went to Kitale town , seeking to look for his father but his efforts were not fruitful .
In the late months of 2022 , his father called him and told him that he was
Many crimes have been solved using DNA technology . The principle behind this is what is known as the Lockard principle of exchange whereby any violent encounter between two individuals leads to exchange of biological materials . In this case , perpetrators usually leave their genetic material at the crime scene and this can be used to place the suspect at the crime scene .
going to switch off his phone and he no longer needed any more assistance . It was the last time that they ever communicated .
When it was announced that there were Kenyans who were members of a religious sect who had died and had been buried in Kilifi , he suspected that his father was among them . Together with his uncle , they headed to the reported area , armed with his photograph . The persons interviewed recognised him and even told them that he was a cheerful man and used to help them fetch water . His son gave his samples to the government chemist to be matched with the ones of exhumed victims and after analysis , the results matched him with one of the victims that had been exhumed . Though it was painful , he was finally reunited with his father , for the purpose of giving him a dignified send off . He was grateful that even though his father died he was able to reunite with him .
# Case Number 3
Moses was a farmer living with his wife and children in Bungoma . In the year 2019 , he lost his wife from illness . From there henceforth , he lost interest in life and soon joined a local religious sect . He later disappeared , never to be heard from again .
Moses , he gave a story of another uncle who disappeared in Mombasa in the year 1982 . During that time , the DNA technology was not widely used . Investigators relied on fingerprints and other bodily features which at times were not reliable , especially in decomposed or skeletonised human remains . It had been reported to them that his brother had drowned in the Ocean . There were many bodies that were decomposing in the mortuary at Mombasa and this made it difficult for them to identify their brother and they went back to Bungoma without a body . They have never found closure ever since .
The above three stories show how science had enabled tracing of relatives , especially the deceased ones by DNA , something that was not possible in the past . Death of a loved one is a terrible experience which no one can wish to experience . Disappearance of a loved one is even worse because there is never closure . Apart from closure , there are many other things that are left pending including insurance claims , maters of devolution of properties of the deceased to the loved ones and the fact that one is unable to know the fate of the loved one , including whether the disappearance is due to a criminal act .
When news broke out that there were persons who had been exhumed in Kilifi after being buried following starvation , his relatives gave out their samples for the purpose of matching with the ones of the exhumed bodies . Fortunately , there was a match . They were also reunited with their loved one and this provided closure .
While interviewing his brother after they identified the body of the late
Dr . Johansen Oduor , MBChB ( UoN ), MMed Path ( UoN ), LLB Hons ( UoN ), Dip for Med ( College of Medicine South Africa ), is a Forensic Pathologis / Medicolegal Specialist and President Emeritus , African Society Forensic Medicine . You can commune with him via mail at : Johansenoduor @ gmail . com