Families re-united with their four sons who had been serving life sentences in South Sudan

One four Kenyans who had been jailed for life in South Sudan greets a relative on December 07, 2017. (Photo: Courtesy)

Joyous families were re-united on Thursday with their four sons who had been serving life sentences in South Sudan, more than 18 hours after they touched down in Nairobi.

It was not immediately clear why the Kenyan government had denied them freedom to go home after the plane they travelled in arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 5.30pm on Wednesday.