Police say abducted Italian aid worker Silvia Romano is still alive more than one month after her kidnapping.
Ms. Romano was kidnapped by gunmen in Malindi, Kilifi County on November 21st and efforts to rescue her have been fruitless since then.
Coast Regional Police Commander Noah Mwivanda says police believe the volunteer is still alive and is being held in the country by her abductors.
“We have crucial information and we believe Ms. Romano, 23, is still alive. We also believe that she is still being held in Kenya,” says Mwivanda.
Speaking during a press briefing in the company of Coast region Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) head, Joseph Ng’ang’a, Mwivanda says security officers are confident of finding the attackers and rescuing the foreigner.
More than 100 people have been arrested in Kilifi and Tana River counties in connection with the abduction of Ms. Romano.
Mwivanda says five of those who have been arrested have shared vital information about the kidnappers.
A team comprising of police and military officers has sealed-off Boni Forest and the areas bordering Lamu, Garissa and Tana River counties as the hunt for the attackers intensifies.
Ms. Romano, who works with Africa Milele Onlus, an NGO whose mission is to raise literacy levels, was kidnapped from a guest house at Chakama trading center in Kilifi County. There were reports that the abductors had moved to Garissa on their way to Somalia.
