Mathew Muhatia Namasaka was the driver of former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer and security consultant Mwenda Mbijiwe.
He was also reported missing and has been, since June 12, the same day Mbijiwe also went missing.
Muhatia is said to have been long time friends with Mbijiwe, and seemed to have been abducted by the same individuals responsible for the Eye On Security (K) Limited CEO’s disappearance.
Background & Family
Muhatia is reported to be 49 years old and hails from Kitale, Trans Nzoia County.
He lived in a two-roomed corrugated iron sheet house near Congo Stage in Kawangware, Nairobi. He has a step brother named Edward Muhatia.
Marriage
Muhatia has two wives according to a report by the Standard.
The publication reports that he lived in his Kawangware home with the second wife Cynthia Salome Watai.
His first wife, Everlyne lives in their rural home in Kitale. According to the report, Muhatia and Salome have been married for six years.
Salome is reportedly 23 years of age. She describes Muhatia as a prayerful and family-oriented man but discreet and withdrawn at times.
Links to Mbijiwe
According to Salome, Everlyne and Edward, Muhatia and Mbijiwe were close friends. Salome revealed that the security consultant even spent a night at Muhatia’s home in Kitale last year.
“They were close friends who enjoyed cracking jokes when together,” Salome was quoted as saying.
She revealed that, prior to their disappearance, Mbijiwe visited their Kawangware home but did not get into the house. Salome got to have a brief chat with the guest while he was seated in his car.
“He promised to take us to Mombasa for holiday in December alongside his family,” she recounted.
Disappearance
Muhatia’s family alleged that prior to his disappearance, he was in constant communication with Mbijiwe, however, what remains uncertain is whether the two were together when he went missing.
Salome stated that the day the security consultant visited they home, he had a chat with his husband for about an hour.
On the fateful day, Muhatia reportedly received a call from Mbijiwe at around 4:45 am. He got out of bed, washed his face, made a brief prayer, and left shortly before 5am and promised his wife that he would return.
Salome said that he did not reveal to her the purpose of the early morning call, or alleged meeting with the former KDF officer.
Muhatia left in a leased Toyota Fielder car.
Later that day, Salome tried calling him but he did not pick the call. That was around 11 am. He called back and told her he was okay. He had told the family that he was working as a taxi driver.
“When I called him, he didn’t pick the call, which he returned an hour later,” she said, revealing that he sent her Ksh300 for supper.
She says that she could hear Mbijiwe laughing in the background. When he called him again at around 3pm, his phone had been switched off.
After three days of Muhatia’s diasppearance, Salome received a call from Everlyne who was also in distress and had tried reaching Muhatia, but in vain.
“As a family, we are anxious over his disappearance. The government has the capacity to trace him whether dead or alive. Back home in the village, our elderly parents are in distress over the whereabouts of their son,” Edward said.
They reported the matter to Muthangari Police Station, six days after he remained untraced and it was booked under OB/24/18/06/2021.
The car Muhatia was driving was discovered abandoned along the Nairobi-Maai Mahiu Road and towed to Tigoni Police Station.
