Five local Kenyan officials have been released from captivity, two months after being kidnapped by suspected Islamist gunmen in the northeast of the country.
The village chiefs, government-appointed local officials, were abducted in Mandera county near the Somalia border, an area known for insurgent activity.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen announced their release, crediting collaboration with the local community and the Mandera county government. “We decided to work together with the community, and to work with the county government of Mandera… and this process has borne fruit,” Murkomen said.
The officials were reportedly taken across the border into Somalia by gunmen believed to be from the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group.
Al Shabaab has been fighting to topple the Somali government and establish its own rule based on Islamic sharia law, frequently conducting cross-border attacks in Kenya.
Murkomen confirmed the chiefs are now in Kenyan custody and will soon return home.
Their release brings relief to families and community members who had been anxiously awaiting their return.
