Kenya in the dark as Cuba, Somalia secure freedom for Cuban doctors

The Kenyan government appeared to be in the dark a whole two days after Cuban Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodríguez announced that two Cuban doctors kidnapped in Mandera County had been released, the Nation has established.

The doctors, Assel Herrera, a specialist in comprehensive general medicine, and Landy Rodriguez, a surgeon, were kidnapped by Al-Shabaab militants on April 12, 2019.

They were part of the team of 100 Cuban medics offering services in Kenya as part of a bilateral deal between the two countries.

Mr Rodriguez, who announced the news via his Twitter account on Monday, took time to thank his Somali counterpart, Ahmed Isse Awad, for helping in negotiations that led to their release.

The tweet by Mr Rodriguez did not mention if the Kenyan government had offered any assistance.

Caught unawares

The Kenyan government appeared to have been caught unawares about the release with the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Kenya Defence Forces' (KDF) Department of Military Intelligence being in the dark, according to Nation inquiries.

“We have not received any news about the release of the Cuban doctors,” government Spokesperson Col (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna said.

The doctors were abducted during a road ambush at Banisa stage in Mandera town, some 1,135 kilometres from the capital Nairobi. The area is near the Kenyan border with Somalia.

Daring attack

In the daring attack that was staged a few minutes after 9am, the attackers shot dead one of two police officers who were escorting the medics to their work station.

The officers, one from the Administration Police and the other from Kenya Police, had picked up the health workers from their homes in a Mandera County government vehicle.

The armed assailants were in a saloon car and a Toyota Probox.