By SAMWEL KOECH

Three families whose loved ones are being held in Somalia by Al-shabaab militants have petitioned the government to help them in initiating talks that will help secure their release.
Sergeant Jonathan Kangogo, Corporal Evans Mutoro, Edward Yesse Mule, a district officer attached to Burderi, Wajir South and Fredrick Irungu Wainaina were captured in separate incidents along the North Eastern border.

Sergeant Kangogo and corporal Mutoro who were working with the KDF were abducted in July 2011 while supplying foodstuffs donated during the Kenyans for Kenya campaign to the famine stricken families in North Eastern.

Mr Mule and Mr Irungu were captured in January last year at Gerille, a town bordering, Somalia while on official duty. The four officers have been missing since then and efforts to trace them have been futile.

The family members, led by Rose – Kangogo’s wife – have accused the government of doing little to ensure the release of the officers. Mrs Kangogo argues that it was the government’s duty to produce them since they were captured in the line of duty.

“It is shocking that the government has virtually done nothing to broker for the release of the captives who were abducted in the line of duty. The two years that my husband has been away have been so traumatising,” revealed Mrs Kangogo.

The mother of Sergeant Kangogo, Pauline, 68 was adversely affected by the news of the abduction of his son. The granny is bedridden suffering from throat cancer with the disease evidently taking a toll on her due to her advancing age.

“I would like to see my son before succumbing to this illness. The news of his abduction shut my happiness,” she said.

Yesse Mule, the father of the captured district officer revealed that the Al-shabaab insurgents have demanded for Sh6 million ransom for the release of each of the captives, an amount that he said is too much for the family.

“We cannot afford to raise the ransom that they are demanding. We have decided to come together and engage third parties to help us secure talks with the Somalia elders,” explained Mr Mule in his office in Eldoret town.

At Misikhu village in Bungoma County, the family of corporal Mutoro’s wants the jubilee government to start talks with the Somalia government to have all the Kenyan captives in the country released.

“We saw our president holding talks with the president of Somalia. He should use such platform to secure the release of our son,” said Christopher, the father of corporal Mutoro.

The government has maintained its stance that they will not negotiate with the insurgents over the release of all the captives being held in Somalia.

Source: Daily Nation