There was joy at the Wilson Airport on Tuesday after two Kenyan pilots who had been detained by South Sudan rebels returned back home.
Captain Pius Frank Njoroge and his co-pilot Kennedy Shamalla were under captivity of the Sudan People's Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO) for more than a month.
They were detained after their plane crashed in the rebels' land on January 7.
Captain Godwin Wachira who owned the plane, said the rebels were paid $107,743 (Sh11 million) by UAP insurance company before releasing the two, despite the rebels asking for Sh20 million.
On Tuesday afternoon, the two landed at Wilson Airport in Nairobi and were received by their families and Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma.
Kenya Red Cross Emergency Medical Services (EMS) accompanied the Ministry of Foreign Affairs delegation to South Sudan and was providing medical escort and attention to the two pilots from Akobo to Juba, South Sudan and finally to Nairobi.
EMS also transferred both of them to Mater Hospital shortly after landing even as Captain Njoroge appeared frail.
The Cabinet Secretary condemned the move by the rebels, saying: "Kenya deplores the unfriendly and inhumane response of the SPLM-IO to what was an unfortunate accident."