After a two-hour walk from Ras Kamboni in Somalia to Shakani in Kenya, seven Kenyans who have been stranded in Somalia are finally back home.
The seven Kenyans; Martin Mwaghazi, Ignus Kialu, Patrick Shighula, Michael Mjala, Gabriel Kennedy Otieno, Elia Mwalili, and Abbas Mutuku were rescued by a Nyumba Kumi ambassador in Shakani who took them to a GSU camp in the area.
They spent the night at the camp and ate.
On Tuesday they were airlifted to Mokowe by a military chopper where they met Muslims for Human Rights officials who have been agitating for their return ever since they left for Somalia early in the year.
Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia on Wednesday told the Star that the seven Kenyans are in his custody and will be cleared.
“They are in Kenya now and we are sorting their case out,” Macharia said adding “we have to be thorough. They are in quarantine.”
The seven Kenyans left for Somalia early in the year for a welding job through an engineering company that had contracted them.
However, a few weeks into the job, they had a standoff which made them terminate services but international travel had been suspended at the time.
They were forced to stay desolate all the while and pleaded with the Kenyan government through Muhuri to rescue them.
Muhuri’s monitoring and communication officer Ernest Cornel said that they have been supporting the families of the seven for the time that they were away.
Cornel, however, questioned why the Kenyan government took longer to give aid to her citizens despite knowing their predicaments. Their passports had been confiscated by Somali authorities.
“…we are very concerned with the government response to their predicament,” said Cornel.
“For them to reach the decision to walk, they had been blocked from entry into Kenya by the authorities. It took a lot of courage to make that decision,” he added.
Muhuri chair Khelf Khalifa lamented that although the seven are finally in Kenya, they are living in squalor.
They are sleeping in a classroom at Mokowe Secondary School with no mattress or bedding and have to cook for themselves. They have been quarantined here.
Khalifa raised his concern over the matter with Lamu County commissioner adding that if they are not treated right, they should be transferred to Mombasa where they can quarantine in a better and decent environment.
“We are, therefore, demanding that you provide an alternative quarantine centre for the seven that is secure, has a proper shelter, beds, bedding, and food, and which is accessible to medical personnel,” the Muhuri chair said.
