The birth of social media and particularly Facebook has seen the creation of all sorts of interactive groups and pages ranging such a great variety of topics: from relationships, politics, cookery, the list goes on. There are all sorts of groups with their privacy limited based on content. Even though most groups are either closed or secret to protect members and keep information shared on the group exclusive, many pages remain public.

As an ardent Facebook user, this Forum correspondent came across a unique Facebook page, one with a noble agenda to ensure that missing persons in Kenya are re-united with their families once gain. Kenyan Missing and Unidentified Persons (KMUP) was registered last year in April by Mr Daniel Bwibo and his wife Susan Bwibo who were stirred by the predicament of their friend whose 5 year old daughter (Tania Margaret Omondi ) was kidnapped from their home in Nairobi’s  Umoja Innercore estate on 21st Nov 2011 and has never been found to date. Baby Tania’s story is very familiar to Kenyans.

“It’s noticeable that more Kenyans use social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn every other day in their free time [that makes Social Media something that is used more often] than watch TV, listen to Radio or read a Newspaper. Primarily it is in people’s home computers and phones.

Based on this fact, we are putting up efforts towards getting the faces of this under-reported Missing Children and Vulnerable Adults straight into people’s computers and phones and thus provide rapid alerts when appeals from the police and affected families come through.” Reads a section of the page’s description.

According to the administrator of the page, Rose Nabalayo, since its inception, KMUP which as of today boasts 7,651 likes has helped reunite 12 families with their loved ones. Also, and unfortunately, according to their records, 28 people who have been reported missing on the page are yet to be found.

The page’s initiative aims to serve as a resource centre for information about missing/unidentified persons, unclaimed human remains and runaways who may be facing abuse. The overarching aim is, of course, in assisting affected families in the location of their loved ones.

Kenyan Missing and Unidentified Persons also through its website, Facebook page and Twitter handle posts public safety alerts and education that can help prevent the unfortunate from happening and hopefully reduce cases of missing people/abduction besides sharing information with the law enforcement, relevant agencies and the public in general.