Seven Kenyans are still being held captive by gunmen in Somalia despite the rescue of two others by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) on Thursday. According to Seafarers Union of Kenya (SUK) the hostages still under captive, comprise six men and a woman. “Their fate is still not known but some of their captors have been demanding ransom,” said SUK Secretary General Andrew Mwangura.
Last Thursday, two Kenyan hostages Daniel Njuguna Wanyoike and James Kiarie Gichuhi were rescued by KDF after years in captivity. The two were seized separately while working for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Care International and held captive in several places. Wanyoike was kidnapped at Afmadhow in Somalia on October 5, 2011, while working as a turnboy for a transport company, Shibli Enterprises Ltd that had been contracted by MSF to transport supplies from Nairobi to Marere in Middle Juba while Gichuhi was kidnapped at Daadab on November 19, the same year.
Mwangura said in January, two Kenyan civil engineers were kidnapped by Somali gunmen in Hodan District near Trabuun Stadium while working for a construction company, East African Construction Company in Mogadishu. The gunmen are demanding Sh86.7 million as ransom. He said the two hostages who hail from Ongata Rongai are aged 34 and 38 and are currently under captive in Harardhere District in Galgaduud region. The hostages are cousins married with children aged between two months and five years. Other Kenyan hostages include Corporal Evans Mutoro and Sergent Jonathan Kangogo of KDF.
They were kidnapped in Wajir on July 23, 2011 while taking supplies to their colleagues. Two more Kenyan aid workers and a Somali doctor were kidnapped in northern Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region in July 2012. Meanwhile, Mombasa county commissioner, Nelson Marwa has challenged chiefs and sub-chiefs to play a leading role in securing the county from crime and terror attacks by identifying criminals at the grassroots.
Speaking during a security meeting with the administrators from all the six constituencies in the county held at County headquarters yesterday, Marwa asked them to be vigilant and ensure they monitored people entering their areas. He told the chiefs that they will be held individually accountable for everything that happens in their areas. Marwa also assured residents of security, saying the county has been secured ahead of the Easter Holiday celebrations.
-thepeople.co.ke
