Kenyan Teen Disappears After Unauthorised Trip to Libya for Employment

A 17-year-old student from Garissa County has gone missing after reportedly travelling to Nairobi under false pretences.

This has prompted a police investigation into possible links with human trafficking networks. Sadheq Idris Ibrahim, a Form Two student at Horseed Secondary School, left his family home on Saturday morning dressed in ceremonial clothing. He told his mother, Makai Owl, that he was attending a wedding in Garissa town. 

When he failed to return home for lunch and later switched off his phone, his family became alarmed. Although he initially responded to messages claiming he had eaten and would return soon, all further attempts to reach him were unsuccessful.

According to information gathered from his peers, Ibrahim travelled to Nairobi to meet a man allegedly arranging job placements in Libya. The trip, presented as an opportunity for employment, has raised concerns that he may have been lured by a trafficking syndicate. 

A friend who intended to travel with Ibrahim was stopped by his family at a local bus station after they became suspicious of repeated calls from unknown numbers.

Garissa police have since traced Ibrahim’s last known phone signal to Nakuru on Sunday evening. 

Authorities confirmed he used another traveller’s phone, a young woman’s, to contact friends, suggesting efforts to conceal his movements. The case has renewed concerns about the vulnerability of Kenyan youth to cross-border trafficking operations. Libya, often portrayed as a transit route to Europe, has been associated with reports of forced labour, exploitation, and abuse. 

Traffickers frequently target young people from low-income backgrounds with promises of high-paying jobs abroad.