The Police Bullets FC and the public breathed a collective sigh of relief on Thursday evening after news broke that missing U20 Rising Starlets captain Jane Hato had been found safe.
Hato, who recently joined Police Bullets FC from Mathare United Women FC, disappeared under mysterious circumstances on Wednesday night, sparking widespread concern.
Hato left her home on Wednesday night, heading for GSU headquarters on Thika Road, where she and her teammates were scheduled to meet at 7:30 p.m. before proceeding to Police Sacco Stadium and ultimately to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) for a flight to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The team was set to participate in a Champions League zonal qualification match, with their flight scheduled for 2:00 a.m. on Thursday.
Hato had only joined Police Bullets FC last month and was among the top players recruited to boost the team’s performance in the CAF Champions League Zone Five qualifiers.
However, her sudden disappearance and the deactivation of her phone left her family and teammates in distress.
Rumors began circulating that Hato had struck a deal with a club in the USA, with some family members allegedly wanting her to miss the Ethiopia flight to pursue the American opportunity.
These claims, however, could not be confirmed.
Her mother, Ann Aluoch, who serves as the Mathare United women’s and Starlets U20 coach, took to social media to plead for assistance in finding her daughter.
Responding to the public’s growing anxiety, Police FC CEO Superintendent Chris Oguso assured everyone that the club and authorities were actively investigating the situation.
“It is disturbing that she has not been seen till now, but we are sure she is alive wherever she is. When we can’t find our player and we can’t tell where she is, we take it as a missing person case, as a club and as the government,” Oguso stated late Wednesday night.
Almost 24 hours later, around 8 p.m. on Thursday, Hato was located in Juja, Kiambu County, after preliminary investigations traced her to Gachororo Health Centre.
She was found safe and was swiftly reunited with her family, bringing an end to a harrowing ordeal for her loved ones and the wider football community.
