The two Kenyan pilots who had been detained by South Sudanese rebels after their plane crashed are back home.
Captain Pius Frank Njoroge and his co-pilot Kennedy Shamalla were detained by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) for over a month after their Cessna Caravan crashed in Akobo, in the Greater Upper Nile region on January 7.
One woman and livestock were killed in the incident.
The pilots were received on Tuesday afternoon at the Wilson Airport in Kenya’s capital Nairobi by the Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma and their families.
They were immediately taken to a Nairobi hospital for treatment.
Captain Njoroge appeared frail when he landed and was helped by Kenya Red Cross officials to walk.
CS Juma said her ministry and the company the pilots worked for secured their release.
“Kenya deplores the unfriendly and inhumane response of the SPLM-IO to what was an unfortunate accident,” the minister said.
While condemning the capture and detention of the pilots, the minister asked Kenyans travelling to war-torn countries to be cautious.
The two were released on Monday after the government and the rebels agreed on the amount of money to be paid as compensation for loss of life and property.
The rebels had earlier asked for $200,000 compensation for the losses but later took it down to $107,743.
