MOGADISHU, Somalia – Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer Sergeant Gerishon Wanyonyi Wasike has sent a new appeal to President William Ruto – eight years after his capture by the Al Shabab group in Somalia.
He was captured on January 15, 2016, when Al Shabab militants stormed a KDF base in El Adde, Gedo region, some 550 km west of the capital, Mogadishu.
In an emotional video shared by the group’s media channels on Tuesday, Sergeant Wasike said he never expected to remain in Al Shabab’s hands for eight years.
He said he has been well taken care of and urged the Kenyan government to intervene and secure their release from captivity.
“We haven’t seen our parents, wives, or children for eight years. We hope our senior government officials will help secure our freedom and release us from Al Shabab’s hands,” he said.
Despite being deployed to protect their nation, he said they received no support from their government or the people and urged them to intervene.
“The 50-year-old sergeant urged KDF soldiers to empathize, reminding them it could happen to them, and asked for their help in securing their freedom.”
Since his captivity in 2016, the AMISOM mission he served in has been replaced by ATMIS, and later by the current AUSSOM in Somalia.
Kenya suffered heavy losses in the El Adde attack where over 147 KDF officers were reportedly killed. Since then, Kenya has not released any official figures.
However, Wasike made a similar emotional video plea for his and his colleagues’ freedom, shared by the Al Shabab group on Monday, May 24, 2021, but nothing has been done since.
Driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 by Somali army and African Union troops, Al Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked group, continues to carry out deadly attacks.
For over a decade, the group has been fighting to impose a hardline interpretation of Sharia law in Somalia.
Al Shabab still controls large swaths of southern and central Somalia, from where it is believed to launch attacks on military bases and the capital, Mogadishu.
