Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has reiterated the government’s commitment to ensure the five chiefs abducted in Mandera are returned safely.
Speaking on Wednesday, Omollo who appeared on Spice FM said that while he was not at liberty to discuss what is being done, there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes.
He noted that the abduction of the five chiefs should also serve as a wake-up call to all that security issues concern everybody.
“There is a lot of work going on, some of which we may not discuss on air but maybe to understand how security then become everybody's concern. These are chiefs who work for the government and the ministry responsible for securing the country and they have been taken by terrorists, or what we call Al-Shabaab, and this demonstrates that none of us is immune to some of these insecurity incidents,” the PS said.
Omollo went on to say that as President William Ruto promised, there is an ongoing engagement with people from a neighbouring country where the chiefs were taken to.
He said that these engagements will ensure they return safely and resume their duties.
“The President did pronounce himself, stating that he will do what it takes to secure the five chiefs. We are constantly engaging, they crossed to our neighbouring country. Unfortunately, the borders are temporary distinctions between countries, the communities are the same. There are active engagements happening to eventually ensure that they are safely back in the country and resume their duties.”
The five chiefs were abducted after they were ambushed by suspected terrorists in Elwak, Mandera County in February.
Police and witnesses said the group was travelling in a car to Elwak when they were attacked and hijacked between Bamba Owla and Ires Suki.
They were to meet in the area to plan how to cover a planned visit by President William Ruto to the region.
The five chiefs are Mohammed Adawa, Mohammed Hassan, Mohammed Noor, Assistant Chief Ibrahim Gabow, and Senior Chief Abdi Suraw.
President Ruto during his tour assured the country that the five abducted Mandera chiefs will be brought back home safely as he vowed to sustain the fight against criminal gangs and terror groups.
Ruto revealed that he had already instructed the Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli to do everything within his power to ensure the administrators are freed.
Ruto stated that the government has significantly downgraded the ability of the al Shabaab to unleash violence on the people of Kenya and they will not stop at anything to ensure northern Kenya is safe like any other part of Kenya.
A few days later, al-Shabaab militants who kidnapped five chiefs demanded a ransom of Sh7 million.
