Two minors kidnapped, captors demand Sh86m ransom

By Moses Michira and Nyambe Gisesa

KENYA: Two children from a wealthy family living in Nairobi were abducted 10 days ago and their captors have demanded a record Sh86 million ($1M) in ransom.

People close to the distressed family that runs the Mada Hotels chain say the children, 15-year-old twins, were kidnapped early this month and had not been found by late Monday.

Their abductors have been raising their ransom since kidnapping the teenagers born to Kenyan-Asian hotelier parents even as police step up search efforts that entered a second week.

“It is true that the twins were kidnapped and are yet to be recovered,” said our source, confirming that their father, Tinu Mahajan, had been asked to pay the equivalent of $1 million to secure their release.

The family operates 11 hotels around East Africa, nine of which are in Kenya. Kilima Safari Camp in Amboseli National Park and the 4-star Hotel La Mada in Muthaiga are its flagship brands.

Nairobi CID boss Nicholas Kamwende confirmed the kidnappings but refused to share any details citing that could jeopardise the recovery efforts.

“I can’t tell you what leads we are on, but we hope to finish the mission soon. It could be today, tomorrow or whenever else; it’s complicated.”

Peponi School in Ruiru, which the twins attended, confirmed the incident but declined to divulge any details, insisting that the institution was on a mid-term break.

It was not possible to determine if the abductors were willing to negotiate their demands even as different security organs were called in to help trace them.

Intelligence sources revealed that special forces from Britain had been called in to help in the search because the victims could be British citizens, a fact that we were not able to independently confirm.

It is also believed that officers from the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit are part of the rescue team, raising the possibility that the kidnappers may have been profiled.

The abduction of the Mahajan twins comes only a month after the police in Nairobi released a report that the county has up to 14 organised criminal gangs involved in kidnappings. Most of these gangs operate in informal settlements where policing is poor, according to the report done by The National Crime Research Centre.

Police profiled the 46 organised gangs operating in the various informal settlements as ‘Yes We Can’ in Kibera slums, J-10, Kamkunji Pressure Group, Siafu, Kibera Batallion and Nubians.

Others include Kamkunji Boys in the Kamkunji area, Munyipi in Mathare, Super Power in Eastleigh, Kenya Youth Alliance, Taliban in Kayole and Dandora, Jeshi La Wazee in Kangemi, Kamjeshi in Eastlands, Al-Shabaab, Jeshi La Embakasi and Mungiki.

The report shows the gangs also get funds through extortion of the public, theft, robbery, politicians, and selling of stolen goods. Other activities include illegal levies, group members’ contributions, drug trafficking, hijacking and piracy, terrorism and rent collection.