Following reports that the suspected Al Shabaab terrorists who kidnapped two Cuban doctors in Mandera were asking for a Kshs 150 million ransom, Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma has said the government will not negotiate a ransom.
The two doctors, Dr. Herera Corea and Dr. Landy Rodriguez, who came to Kenya along with others as part of an agreement between Kenya and Cuba were kidnapped in Mandera on April 12th when they were heading to their post, and a police officer was shot dead in the ensuing confrontation against the abductors.
Efforts to ensure they are freed are still ongoing, and CS Juma said the government believes they are going to secure their release. “We don’t negotiate ransom as a matter of government policy,” she said. Speaking after meeting EU’s high representative for Foreign Policy Ms Federica Mogherini, she affirmed that the operation is still ongoing and that the government is hopeful the two doctors will be released.
On her part, Ms Mogherini said Kenya shares the same interests with the EU when it comes to security, especially when it comes to counter-terrorism and prevention of radicalization. She also met with President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House together with other officials including Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.
