Former Cabinet Secretary Raphael Tuju has resurfaced just a day after being reported missing, revealing that he went into hiding after detecting suspicious vehicles trailing him in Nairobi.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Tuju said the incident began on Friday after leaving a petrol station in Karen, when he noticed he was being followed.
“It’s easy to know when you’re being followed. You slow down, they slow down,” he said, adding that he reported the matter at Karen Police Station under OB number 21/21/03/2026.
He said the situation escalated on Saturday evening as he headed for an interview, when the same vehicle reappeared without number plates.
“The vehicle didn’t have plate numbers… I got very worried,” Tuju said, linking the incident to a previous encounter where multiple police Land Rovers, some also without registration, had reportedly visited his residence.
According to Tuju, the vehicle closed in on him near Karen roundabout, prompting him to take evasive action.
“They were definitely making sure they are back-to-back with me… I branched into Nandi Road and managed to lose them,” he said.
“I want to thank Kenyans… they gave me shelter. They didn’t care what my tribe is, they just saw me as a human being,” he added, saying he only resurfaced past midnight.
Tuju claimed the ordeal has left his family and relatives traumatized, while raising concerns about security. “Kenyans are being slaughtered… there are Kenyans in unmarked graves,” he said.
He also questioned the safety of reporting such incidents to police, alleging cases of abductions near police stations, and said he had reached out to both local and international contacts following the incident.
His reemergence follows a tense 24-hour period during which his family had reported him missing after he failed to return home on Saturday night.
According to relatives, Tuju had been scheduled for an interview at a local radio station but never arrived, and his phone remained switched off, heightening concern over his whereabouts.
Alarm grew on Sunday morning when his son, Mano Tuju, was contacted by officers at Karen Police Station to help identify an abandoned vehicle found along Miotoni Lane, which was later confirmed to belong to him.
His lawyer disclosed that Tuju had earlier reported being trailed by “an unplated white Land Cruiser 70 series” on Friday, prompting a second missing person report to be filed.
The incident came amid an ongoing legal dispute between Tuju and the East African Development Bank over an alleged Sh1.9 billion loan, which has led to attempts to auction his high-value Karen properties, including Entim Sidai Wellness Sanctuary and Dari Business Park.
Tuju had previously raised alarm over what he described as an “unlawful police occupation” of Dari Business Park, claiming more than 100 officers raided the premises without a court order and disrupted operations for days.
He further escalated the matter by writing to Chief Justice Martha Koome questioning the judicial processes surrounding the planned auction.
