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| Joseph Adero, father of missing young boxer Charles Osewe Adero |
The events of Tuesday, June 25, following massive protests against the government, are forever imprinted in Kenya’s history. Joseph Adero, father of missing young boxer Charles Osewe Adero, urged the government to help him find his son. More than four weeks after the wild scenes experienced across the country, families are still struggling to trace their loved ones. One such man is Joseph Adero, the father to Charles Osewe Adero, a young and upcoming boxer in Kenya’s capital. He revealed that he had tried discouraging his son from joining in the protests, but all was futile as he joined his friends in the demonstrations that culminated in a section of the National Assembly being set on fire. “My son loved politics, and he told me he’d be going, but I was against it. I told him to stay home. I begged him, telling him that it was not safe out there. I tried to derail him, but he and his friends went. So, whatever I am getting now after searching for a period that the police confronted them along Moi Avenue, and my son was very stubborn. His friends ran away, and he was left being beaten,” he revealed. Joseph explained that he had been searching for the last six weeks, hoping to find him in police stations, mortuaries or Kenyatta National Hospital. Despite being resigned to the possibility that he’s dead, Joseph said he was clinging to the faintest hope of finding him. What is Joseph’s plea to gov’t? The dejected father stated that it was unfair many parents were suffering while looking for their children after the deadly protests. He called on the authorities to share with them if their children were dead so they could move on, questioning the government’s commitment to find them. Joseph has found solace in some families that have canvassed various parts of the country in search of their missing children. “If they are dead let them release the bodies for us to bury them because they’ll continue remaining our children. I just wish to appeal to the government to tell us where our children are because it is the work of the government to protect the citizens. “People cannot just go missing that way. The other day, I was at City Mortuary, and I got people who came from as far as Juja looking for their children who are lost so I found I was not alone in this issue,” he added.
by Didacus Malowa