This archive report was first published on 3 August 2019.
On March 26, 2018, Harrison Jeffa was selling fish on the shores of the Indian Ocean in Marereni, Kilifi County, when a man named Mohamed Ali approached him with a lucrative fishing job in Kiunga, Lamu County.
Jeffa and 11 others were later rescued by the Kenya Defence Forces from the Al-Shabaab terror group in Somalia after being held captive for a month.
The group was lured into the hands of the terrorists with promises of a lucrative crab-fishing venture, where they would earn Sh500 per kilogramme compared to the normal price of Sh250 in Marereni.
However, their ordeal began when they were taken to Ras Kamboni, Somalia, where they were locked up in a cell and forced to learn 'Shahada', the Islamic declaration of faith.
After a month in captivity, the group managed to escape and were rescued by the KDF.
Today, the 13 returnees are living in fear as their recruiters still roam freely in Kilifi and Mombasa counties.
They feel betrayed by the government and are calling for protection and rehabilitation.
Former Kilifi County Commissioner Magu Mutindika said the issue is being handled by the Counter Terrorism Unit, military, and police.
However, Pwani University sociologist Halim Shauri said the government must be appreciated in its fight against violent extremism, but noted that there is a lack of a legal framework for rehabilitating returnees.
