NAIROBI (Halbeeg News) – Kenyan troops working under the framework of African union mission in Somalia (Amisom) will be ready any time soon to conclude their operations in the horn of Africa nation.
Speaking to Kenyan state-owned media, KBC, Chief of Defence Forces General Robert Kibochi said Somalia is unstable and their security forces still need support from the African Mission to Somalia.
Kibochi said they are pushing for mandate and funding changes to enable the organisation to achieve its goals.
“We cannot be in Somalia forever. Just like the USA which has left Afghanistan after a long war with militants, we will also leave when our objective is achieved,” he said.
Kibochi said the Kenyan troops have already had a huge impact in Somalia by opening up 14 major areas initially under al Shabaab control.
“We have opened up roads, hospitals and made towns bustling. Kismayu, Dobley and other towns are now bustling. We have degraded al Shabaab in a major way,” he said.
The remarks of the KDF boss come days after the East Afrocan nation confirm that its forces in Somalia will loss half of their budget after European Union (EU) and its partners decided to whittle down fifty percentage of the funds meant to support the operations against terror groups.
Treasury told Parliament Monday that Kenya received Sh4.5 billion from African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) in the 12-month period to June 2019 against a target of Sh8.5 billion.
Parliament has been probing why Kenya received less money for its troops in Somalia compared to the budget.
“The amount was received was based on the number of actual troops deployed in Somalia.
By July, 2018, the number of troops was subsequently reduced,” Julius Muia, Kenya Treasury principal secretary (PS) said without disclosing the actual figures.
Military insiders say it costs about Sh7,000 ($70) a day to keep a Kenyan soldier in Somalia.
This covers food, transport, medical care, communication and water expenses, which translates to Sh210,000 ($2100) a month and Sh2.52 million a year.
There are at least 4,000 Kenyan soldiers in Somalia, meaning it would cost Sh10.08 billion a year to keep them in a war that has no end in sight.
The East African nation deployed its troops in Somalia to fight Al-Shabaab fighters in Southern Somalia in 2011.
A year later, the UN Security Council gave Kenya the green light to join Amisom, a decision that meant the Treasury would not bear the full costs of the incursion.
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