2 Kenyan hostages released by al-Shabab

Al-Qaida-linked Islamic militants in Somalia released two Kenyan hostages who were bound and blindfolded during 1 1/2 years of captivity, officials said. Al-Shabaab reunited Yesse Mule and Fredrick Wainana with their families after abducting them from Gerille, Kenya, in January 2012, the BBC reported Thursday. Mule said they were blindfolded and chained throughout their captivity and changed locations 19 times. "It was one of the worst moments. You are not sure about your life. You don't know what will happen in the next second or minute," he said. "Every room within a house is a cell. You are blindfolded and chained. Both hands are padlocked to your legs." Kenyan officials denied paying a ransom for the release of the men, the BBC said. Why al-Shabaab released them was unclear. Mule was the Majir County district officer and Wainana was a government clerk at the time they were abducted. Mule said the government offered the two the option of being transferred to a different region for work.