Family of Kenyan Doctor held hostage in Somalia since 2023 renews appeal for help

Dr Kimiti, 45, has been in captivity since January 10, 2024, after a helicopter he was travelling in during a medical evacuation mission reportedly made an emergency landing in an area controlled by the militant group Al-Shabaab.

Speaking to the media, his mother Margrete Wairimu, accompanied by his elder brother Martin Mwangi, called on humanitarian organisations, faith leaders, well-wishers and the international community to help amplify the case and support diplomatic initiatives that could lead to his freedom.

Their appeal follows the circulation of an undated video on social media in which Dr Kimiti pleads for intervention, saying he and other members of his team have been held for over a year and a half. In the video, his message is directed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President William Ruto, and the people of Kenya.

“We believed we were serving a humanitarian cause, but the United Nations has failed to work toward securing our freedom,” Kimiti says in the video.

According to his family, they last saw him on December 27, 2023, during a family gathering at their home in Kiandege village, Ndaragwa Constituency. He informed them that he would be travelling back to Somalia the following day for duty.

Two weeks later, the family learned that Kimiti and his team had been taken hostage after the helicopter they were using for a medical evacuation mission allegedly made an emergency landing in hostile territory.

Ms Wairimu expressed frustration over what she described as a lack of communication from both the United Nations and the Kenyan government.

“It reached a point where UN officials stopped picking our calls and would only communicate via SMS. Every time we ask about progress, they say they have no further information,” she said.

The family noted that Dr Kimiti has dedicated his career to humanitarian and medical missions, serving vulnerable communities in high-risk environments driven by compassion and service.

“As a family, we remain united, resilient and hopeful,” they said in a joint statement. “We ask the public to keep Ambrose in their thoughts and prayers, and we urge the media to report on this matter responsibly, with due regard for the dignity, safety and wellbeing of all hostages.”