{Several families whose relatives were serving with the Kenyan military in Somalia have been asked to travel to Nairobi and help identify the bodies of their loved ones.}
Two other families in Nandi County were on Wednesday still anxiously waiting for the government to confirm the names of soldiers killed in the deadly attack with leaders also calling for military commanders and the government not to be too economical with information on the soldiers’ fate.
The two families from Tebeson and Lelmokwo villages in Chesumei sub-county said they have been suffering and were traumatised since Friday’s attack in El-Adde, Somalia, because they were not getting enough information from the government on the whereabouts of their relatives and what had happened to them.
However, representatives from the families have been asked to travel to the Department of Defence headquarters in Nairobi immediately to help in identifying the bodies flown in from Somalia.
Wednesday, relatives continued to flock the home of David Morogo Songok who hailed from Tebeson village and that of 21-year-old Wesley Sirikwa who came from Lelmokwo village to commiserate with the soldiers’ families.
Wesley’s father, Mr Samson Sirikwa, said he had to use his own networks to find information about his missing son.
He said that Wesley, who left the country on January 2, for the Somalia mission, was among the officers who could not be accounted for after the attack by Al-Shabaab.
“We do not know whether our son is alive or dead because our source says that he is yet to be accounted for,” said Mr Sirikwa.
“YOUNG AND INEXPERIENCED”
Chesumei MP Elijah Lagat, who visited the two families on Wednesday, blamed the government for “sending young and inexperienced soldiers to Somalia” arguing that a similar mistake was made by the National Police Service two years ago “when young, inexperienced officers were sent to Suguta Valley where over 40 officers were killed.”
But he supported the continued stay of Kenyan troops to Somalia “on condition that they send more experienced soldiers.”
Earlier, Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno asked the government to ensure that families of KDF soldiers deployed in the war-torn Somalia get information about the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Mr Chemno said that there was need for the affected families to get the information on the whereabouts of their relatives.
“The government should do more to help reduce growing anxiety and trauma among families who had their loved ones in Somalia during the attack,” said Mr Chemno.
Mr Chemno urged Kenyans to pray for the injured Kenyan soldiers as well as families who might have lost their loved ones in the attack.
Source:Daily Nation:[Agony of soldiers families’ as they await news on the fate of their loved ones ->http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Families–agony-in-wait-for-missing-KDF-soldiers/-/1056/3042100/-/v6nuws/-/index.html]
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