It was relief and joy in Embu as college student Billy Munyiri Mwangi, who went missing after being abducted by four hooded men, re-united with his parents.
The twenty-four-year old returned home in the morning hours of Monday and narrated how he went through hell at the hands of his abductors.
His parents hugged the young man who talked in low tones and appeared badly shaken. He also could not speak of how he arrived home as he appeared terrified and confused.
Billy Mwangi's father talks about how his son resurfaced after abduction
Equally excited were neighbours and friends who joined the family in celebrating his return for the better part of Monday morning.
"We are very happy because our son has come back home alive," said Gerald Karicha, the student's father.
Mwangi, who looked frail, walked into the compound, taking the parents and the neighbours by surprise.
He resurfaced after going missing for 16 days and gave a spine-chilling story of how he was confined in a dark room and subjected to all manner of torture for weeks.
"He came back home alone at 8am. I was at home with his mother when we saw him enter the compound and we were overjoyed. He is okay and we thank God. We thank all those who consoled and supported us in prayers," said Karicha.
'Billy is extremely traumatised, he was whipped and kept in dark room'
Mwangi appeared underfed as he talked to his family, an indicator that he was starved during the time he was held incommunicado.
A few minutes after arriving home, parents and friends rushed him to a private hospital in the outskirts of Embu Town where he was immediately put on a drip. Sources at the hospital said he was emaciated and required medical treatment.
Before he was rushed to hospital, Mwangi was given glucose to energise him as he was very weak and dehydrated.
He did not speak to the media following his return, with his family saying he would do so once he is feeling better.
However, MP Gitonga Mukunji disclosed that he was held in a dark room but could not tell its actual location.
"We condemn the abduction of Mwangi in the strongest terms possible," he said.
"We rose up in protest and made a lot of noise and we have been heard...Mwangi was released. Let him be the last person to go through such an ordeal in this country," he said.
"The law is very clear on what should be done when a person commits an offence. These abductions should come to an end."
Abducted in broad daylight
On December 21, Mwangi was waiting to be shaved at a barbershop in Embu town when a white double-cabin pickup pulled up. Four hooded men, suspected to be State security agents, alighted, grabbed the unsuspecting Mwangi and dragged him into the car, to the astonishment of onlookers.
When Mwangi demanded to know why he was being arrested, the men reported replied: "you will know later".
According to the family, their son was taken away at around 3pm.
Mwangi's mother, Regina Wairimu, said she was at home when the barber informed her that her son had been seized by unknown men.
"We embarked on a thorough search for him in town but we didn't find him. It was then that we reported the matter to Embu police station," said his father.
Embu residents protest over abduction of college student Billy Munyiri Mwangi
