An Australian photojournalist kidnapped and tortured in Somalia has held an emotional reunion with his mother in Kenya, in which the pair "just hugged and hugged", a report said Sunday.

Along with Canadian colleague Amanda Lindhout, Nigel Brennan spent 15 months as a prisoner of unknown gunmen in Mogadishu after the pair were picked up on the outskirts of the city as they prepared to visit a refugee camp.

They were released last week after their families hired private hostage negotiators to pay a ransom for their freedom.

Speaking from Nairobi where the pair are undergoing health checks, Brennan's mother Heather said her son was "the same old Nige" despite his ordeal during which he spent months in isolation and shackled to the floor.

"We didn't say anything, just hugged ? and hugged and hugged," she told Australia's Sunday Telegraph.

"It's so wonderful to have him back. At last, at last! We've waited so long for this. He can't believe he is out."

Brennan, who lost about 10 kilograms in captivity, was said to be in good health and was expected to be released from hospital within days.

His mother said one of the first things he did once he got to the hospital was shave off the long beard he had grown.

"And he thinks the hospital bed is very comfortable after sleeping on the floor for 15 months," she said.

The Brennans have attacked the Australian government's handling of the case. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the administration did everything it could to help but would never pay a ransom to secure a citizen's release.

A millionaire Australian businessman and a politician ended up contributing to the ransom after the Brennan family sold property and held fund-raising barbecues to raise the money.