It also emerged on Tuesday that some local youth who responded to the incident and mounted a search for the chiefs were injured by government security agencies, raising questions as to how the operation to rescue them was coordinated.
President Ruto vowed to launch a security operation in the areas bordering Somalia in search of the administrators believed to be in the hands of the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terror group.
The five were abducted on Monday morning on the Wargadud-Elwak road as they travelled to Mandera South sub-County headquarters for duty.
Speaking in Mandera, President Ruto said the rag-tag militants were on a mission to create fear in the far-flung county so that he could cancel his development tour.
“The Al-Shabaab wanted to create fear in Mandera by kidnapping our chiefs. I want to promise the people of Mandera that those chiefs must come back home and we shall deal with the terrorists by all means,” he said.
President Ruto vows to ensure safe return of five chiefs abducted in Mandera
The Head of State said the Deputy Inspector of Police (DIG), Gilbert Masengeli, would lead the operation to have the five back.
“I am here with Deputy Inspector-General of Police Gilbert Masengeli and I have instructed him to make sure we get back those chiefs,” he said.
“East or West, we must solve this issue because we have significantly downgraded the ability of the Al-Shabaab to unleash violence on the people of northern Kenya”.
In the operation, the president said the officers would comb the area and turn all stones in search of the government administrators.
President William Ruto tours Mandera County on February 4, 2025.
Photo credit: Manase Otsialo | Nation
“We will not stop at anything until we make sure northern Kenya is safe like any other part of the Republic of Kenya,” he said.
“You all know that those fools thought by doing what they did yesterday I will not come here. They are foolish and mad. I am in Mandera and I will sleep here and I can spend more time because this is Kenya and I must make clear that every part of Kenya is important.”
Dr Ruto said his administration would not allow an inch of the country to go to the militants and other criminals.
“We shall not cede an inch of our country to criminals and those who want to unleash mayhem in our Republic. We shall go after them, we will deal with them and we will eliminate them,” he said.
'Yet to hear from government'
But even as the president breathed fire in Mandera town, the families of the missing five said they are yet to hear from the government.
Mr Hussein Okash, a relative of Qurahmadow Location Chief, Abdi Hassan Surraw, said they were yet to record statements with the police.
“We have not heard from any government official. Nobody has called us over the abduction of our relatives. I am yet to record any statement,” he said.
It also emerged that several locals who responded to the incident and attempted to chase the militants who sped off towards Somalia were nursing injuries.
“We have some locals in hospital after they were beaten by security agencies. These people using the motorcycles were tracing the kidnappers when they came in contact with security agencies near the border,” Mr Okash said.
According to Mr Okash, the locals were using the car markings on the ground to track abductors to rescue the chiefs.
“Immediately reports reached Wargadud town that local chiefs had been abducted, a group of locals gave chase using motorcycles. It is shocking that the security agencies instead of collaborating with this team, chose to beat them up,” he said.
“I am appealing for your intervention in the matter of missing chiefs so that we can find them and have them back in the community. We shall cooperate with the government in the efforts to get our chiefs back,” Mr Roba said.
Among the chiefs being held captive are Mr Adawa Abdi Mohamed of Wargadud Town Location, Mr Mohamed Hassan Kulmiaof Wragadud East, and Mr Mohamednur Hache of Chachabole Location of Shimbirfatuma Division.
Others are Mr Abdi Hassan Suraw of the Qurahmadow Location and Mr Ibrahim Gabow of the Wargadud Location.
It remains unclear how Mr Masengeli will lead the search of the missing chiefs believed to have been taken into Somalia.
“What the president has said is right but he forgot that our police don’t go beyond the borders in their roles. He should have instructed the military to lead in this operation,” Mr Ali Hassan, a resident of Mandera said.
