Five Kenyan teachers—four men and one woman—are appealing to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kenya for assistance after armed gunmen confiscated their passports, leaving them stranded in Somalia.
In a video seen by The Kenya Times, one of the teachers explained that they traveled to Somalia for a teaching contract in Las Anod on September 1, 2024. Their troubles began when they requested their visas, return tickets, and outstanding salaries for February.
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“We were given a contract that we read and agreed to, so we came to work. After arriving, we traveled by road through Kenya and Ethiopia to enter Las Anod in the SSC region.
However, we found that the office in SSC was not operational, and we were not issued visas to confirm our entry into Las Anod,” the teacher stated.
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According to the teacher, they were promised that the office would resume operations and that their visas would be issued in due time.
Kenyan Teachers Ambushed by Armed Men in Somalia
They continued working without issues throughout the previous year, but in December, the manager who facilitated their arrival was allegedly mishandled and removed from his position.
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A new manager, associated with an institution called Golden Bridge Academy, took over. The teacher mentioned that the former manager left in frustration after being chased away.
Also Read: Diplomatic Tension Between Kenya and Somalia as Miraa Farmers Suspend Exports
The new manager failed to honor the terms of their contract, leading the teachers to demand their rights.
“We requested our visas, as they are essential documents for foreigners working in another country. We also asked for our return tickets, which were supposed to be provided, and our outstanding February salaries,” the teacher explained.
Kenyan Teacher Alleges Manager Sent Armed Men to Confiscate Their Passports
It was only after making these demands that the teacher claimed the new manager sent armed men to ambush them.
“They forced us to hand over our passports. Honestly, how can you give your passport to people you don’t even know? The manager was present, instructing them to take our passports by force,” the teacher added.
Also Read: KDF Responds to Family of Soldier Held by Al-Shabaab After Video Surfaces
This is not the first incident of Kenyans being stranded in Somalia.
Earlier this year, a video surfaced on social media, featuring a Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldier appealing for government intervention.
In the video, Sergeant Abdullahi Issa Ibrahim claims he was captured, along with an unknown number of Kenyan soldiers, during the deadly Al-Shabaab attack on a KDF camp in El-Adde, Somalia, on January 15, 2016.
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