Kenyan freed from Guantanamo Bay prison ‘ready to come home’

Plans for the repatriation of Mohammed Abdul Malik, a Kenyan who has been at the US Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, are at an advanced stage, his lawyer Mark Maher said.

Mr Maher, who has been in Kenya for the past one week, said his visit is among the last procedures to build a strong network of support for his client when he returns to Kenya. 

In an interview with the Saturday Nation, Mr Maher said he has met with government officials and civil society organisations to lay ground for the arrival of Mr Malik anytime. 

“Malik is a Kenyan citizen who has been detained for 15 years without ever being charged with a crime. Despite spending so long in one of the most notorious prisons, my client is focused on the future and he is excited to see his family once again, and to spend his life as a family man focused on positivity and charity. I am looking forward to the day when we can celebrate his freedom,” said Mr Maher.

In January, the Periodic Review Board, a US agency, said it had cleared Mr Malik and Somali national Guled Hassan Duran to other countries for their rehabilitation.

Mr Maher exuded confidence that the repartition will be swift to allow his client settle in Kenya. The lawyer said his client is anxious to get home. 

“My organisation–Reprieve, which is a legal action entity in US that defends people suffering human rights abuses worldwide has helped dozens of Guantánamo detainees reintegrate into society, and we look forward to continuing to work with Mr Malik and we hope his repatriation will be swift.” 

Reprieve has been representing Mr Malik since 2007. While at the Guantanamo detention facility, Mr Malik learnt farming and honey harvesting and is hoping to “run his farm” upon release, he said.  “My family is still ready and willing to receive and support me upon release in my transition back to society,” he said in his 2017 submissions to the review board. 

Mr Malik’s wife and three children live in Somalia but were willing to move back to Kenya to be with him, should he be released, the Guantanamo documents show. The government last month said it will analyse the situation of the Kenyan released from Guantanamo before taking any further action.

Haki Africa executive director Hussein Khalid had earlier expressed concern that Malik’s life, if he returns, might be in danger.