Armed militants who abducted five chiefs in Mandera are demanding for Sh6 million before letting them walk back to Kenya.

The Standard has established that the elders who have been leading negotiation efforts had briefed the families that the militia linked to terror group Al Shabaab wanted Sh6 million in exchange for the chiefs’ freedom.

This is after it was reported that the chiefs had been released on Sunday after two months in captivity.

However, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Monday their release but said the five were still in Somalia.

The chiefs and a daughter of one of the administrators have been in captivity in Somalia, where they were taken on February 3.

The five Mohamed Adawa, Mohamed Hassan, Abdi Hassan, Mohamed Noor Hache and assistant chief Ibrahim Gabow were heading to Elwak ahead of President William Ruto’s tour of the county.

“Yes, it is true we have good news from Mandera that the five chiefs have been released. We will issue a comprehensive statement once they arrive in the country,” said Murkomen while in Mombasa over a fact-finding tour on deteriorating security in the coastal region.

Preliminary reports indicated that the chiefs were released on Sunday and handed over to Kenyan elders at the centre of the negotiations.

“No money was given, but we understand the elders were told to consider giving unspecified reward as a gesture of goodwill,” said a source aware of the process.

According to Murkomen, once the chiefs arrive in the country, they will be debriefed before being interrogated.

A relative to one of the chiefs however maintained they were still in darkness regarding the whereabouts of their loved ones.

The source, however, confirmed that they had been contacted by the elders on Sunday, who told them that Al Shabaab wanted Sh6 million in exchange for the chiefs’ freedom. 

Last Tuesday, The Standard reported that the militants were willing to release the chiefs. This after elders from both sides of Kenya and Somalia finally managed to persuade the insurgents to set free the chiefs believed to been held within Jilbi region.

For almost two months, the chiefs had remained in captivity, and elders were engaged in the hope that they could reach out to the militants who live among local communities. The Al Shabaab militants had initially demanded some ransom.

“We’re waiting whether they will honour their promise of setting the chiefs free after Eid Mubarak celebrations. This message was relayed through our elders engaging those from the Somalia side. So it remains a wait-and-see situation at the moment,” said our source.

Nominated Senator Mariam Omar recently called on the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to provide regular and detailed updates on the efforts being made to rescue the abducted chiefs.

“We are urging the government to prioritise the immediate and safe return of these abducted leaders and civilians,” said Omar.