Families in plea over Kenyans held in Somalia

Families of seven Kenyans held at Raskiamboni in Somalia are calling for government intervention to have them freed and brought back home.

 The seven had been contracted to work on the Kenya-Somalia border wall in January this year.

Muslims for Human Rights lobby (Muhuri) has written to Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia to intervene, accusing the government of having a hand in their detention.

In a letter, Muhuri chairman Khelef Khalifa said the seven left Kenya for a welding job in Kismayo, Somalia on January. They completed the job on March 31, and started their journey back home on April 5 only to be stopped at Raskiamboni where they were detained. Khalifa claimed security agents in Raskiamboni took their travel documents, including identification cards making it hard for them to travel.

“Without their identification documents, they can barely do anything. At the Coast region if one does not have an ID, he or she is seen as a criminal. How does the government expect them to operate if at all they have been denied access to Kenya?” posed Khalifa.

After they reached out to the County Commissioner, the administrator said the border had been temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Since then, 14 days which are the mandatory isolation period are over, The government needs to revisit the issue and grant them access back home,” Khalifa added. He claimed the seven had exhausted the money had earned and are now are now sleeping in the streets.