The family of a Kenyan Defence Forces soldier, reportedly held by Al-Shabaab militants for nearly a decade, is appealing to the government for help in securing his release.
Sergeant Abdullahi Issa Ibrahim was taken captive during a deadly assault on the Kenyan-operated AMISOM base in El-Adde on January 15, 2016.
Although presumed dead for nine years, the family’s hope has been reignited by a recently surfaced video in which Sergeant Abdullahi pleads for government intervention.
In the video, he shares his journey since enlisting with the 9KR battalion at Moi Barracks in Eldoret.
“I am a Kenyan soldier. After the attack, we thought the government would work to secure our freedom and reunite us with our families,” he says in the footage.
The video, allegedly shared by Al-Shabaab’s propaganda arm, depicts the now 61-year-old soldier calling for action.
His family, including his daughter Kathra, has renewed optimism after watching the clip.
“We have been in despair, unsure of what to do,” she expressed. “For eight years, we had given up. It felt like living as orphans.”
The family, living in Maline Estate, Eldoret, had previously lost all hope when they received a death certificate from the KDF in December 2020.
Kathra revealed that a man claiming to be her father called from Somalia, prompting her to demand video evidence. A month later, they received the footage confirming her father’s identity.
Despite the new development, the family remains deeply concerned about his physical and mental state after nearly ten years in captivity.
“Ten years of suffering is too much. We plead for his return,” she urged.
In addition to Sergeant Abdullahi’s video, another Kenyan soldier from Trans-Nzoia also appeared in a similar recording, urging the government to intervene for their release.
