Rescued Kenyan aid worker returns home

The Kenyan aid worker rescued by NATO special forces from her kidnappers in Afghanistan last week arrived home safely on Sunday night.

Ms Moragwa Oirere arrived aboard Emirates flight EK721 at 7pm and was received by the parents and officials from the British High Commission.

Ms Moragwa was kidnapped on May 22 in Afghanistan together with three of her colleagues. They were all freed on Saturday morning in a special forces raid. (READ: Kenyan aid worker among four rescued in Afghanistan)

British and American Special Forces conducted the helicopter raid in Badakhshan province, north of Afghanistan where the four -Helen Johnson, Moragwe Oirere, and the two Afghans -were being held.

They worked for Medair, a humanitarian non-governmental organisation based near Lausanne, Switzerland.

The four had hired horses to reach a remote village in the Yawan district where they were kidnapped by a small, armed band.

The kidnappers, believed to have been a criminal group with links to insurgents in Afghanistan, had made a ransom demand in a video.

Ms Moragwa, 26, was not allowed to talk to the media as the British advised that such exposure would endanger her life.

During the rescue operation, five of the kidnappers said to have been heavily armed were killed.

The carefully planned and co-ordinated operation was ordered by the Commander of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and was authorised by the British Prime Minister.

On Monday the family told Nation that they were happy that she is home and said that they had decided to allow her rest at an undisclosed location in Nairobi.