Mr Yussuf Ahmed Hussein, the Wajir County Assembly Minority Leader who went missing nearly six months ago after allegedly being abducted in the capital Nairobi, has walked home.
Mr Hussein, the Dela Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA), knocked on his door in Eastleigh Estate, Nairobi, at about 9.30pm on Saturday, according to one of his relatives.
"He returned home Saturday evening holding a Quran. His wife called us immediately, and we confirmed it was him," Mr Elyas Abdille, Mr Hussein’s cousin told the Nation on Sunday.
Mr Abdille, who is alson the Rhamu Dimtu Ward Representative in Mandera, said the family immediately rushed Mr Hussein to Nairobi hospital for medical checkup.
"He looks very okay physically though emotionally shaken," Mr Abdille said, quoting the wife.
It was not immediately where the MCA was since his disappearance on September 13, 2024 , and how he found his way home but reports indicate he was taken to Eastleigh by unknown people, suspected to be his abductors.
“He told us he was being held with many other people within Nairobi for the first two months but was moved a place he didn't know. We are yet to establish who dropped him in Eastleigh last evening because he came in the house alone," said Mr Abdille.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan, also a relative of the lawmaker, confirmed the resurfacing of the ward rep via a tweet.
Mr Keynan was among dozens of Wajir leaders and residents residing in Nairobi who gathered at Mr Hussein’s home in Eastleigh to celebrate his safe return.
Wajir Governor and Chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG) Ahmed Abdullahi on Sunday expressed his relief at the finding the ward representative.
“Alhamdulillah! I am happy to have received the good news of Hon. Yussuf Hussein’s safe return and reunion with his family after months of uncertainty. Since his disappearance in September last year, the people of Wajir have endured a painful period of anxiety, prayers, and unwavering hope for his safe return,” he said in a tweet.
“The news of his reunion brings immense relief and joy to our community. It is a moment of gratitude and renewed hope for his family and all those who stood by them during these difficult times. On behalf of the people of Wajir County, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who played a role in ensuring his safe return. May this moment mark the beginning of healing, peace, and renewed strength for him and his loved ones.”
“No words but to say Alhamdullilah! Welcome hon me our MCA Hon Yussuf Tolfiyow,” she tweeted on Sunday.
Mr Hussein went missing in Nairobi on the night of September 13, 2024, on Enterprise Road while heading to his home in Pangani from South C.
Reports indicated that the lawmaker was waylaid by unknown gunmen as he was being driven home by a hired taxi.
The gunmen blocked the taxi before ordering Mr Hussein out and bundling him into their car never to be seen again.
Frantic efforts by his family and activists to find him bore no fruit as police denied knowledge of his whereabouts.
In October 2024, a body was retrieved in Lake Yahud, which was believed to be the missing ward rep.
Family members and locals thronged the morgue to identify the body that was badly tortured and decomposed, but two independent DNA tests later determined that the body was not that of the MCA.
