Kenyan troops join AU Somalia mission

What you need to know:

  • The military will have international backing but now soldiers must dance to the tune of African Union

Kenyan soldiers fighting Al-Shabaab militants have now become part of the United Nations-sponsored African Mission in Somalia.

It follows the unanimous vote in Parliament on Wednesday authorising the Kenya Defence Forces currently in Somalia to serve under the African Union Mission in Somalia.

Kenya is joining the force at the invitation of the African Union. (READ: Cabinet approves AU request on Kenyan troops)

By passing the motion, MPs removed the last hurdle, which gave the conversion of the mission from a purely Kenyan affair to a UN/AU sponsored one after the Cabinet last week approved the move.

By sending troops to Somalia, Kenya provided perhaps one of the best chances of peace in Somalia in recent times.

It has created the conditions for military victory over Al-Shabaab, now being fought on three fronts, with the prospect of giving the Transitional Federal Government the room it needs to take charge of more of the lawless country.

As a purely Kenyan affair, Operation Linda Nchi was paid for solely by the Kenyan taxpayer and risks being seen as an occupation force.

As part of the AU peacekeeping mission, Kenya will still achieve the objective of ridding Somalia of Al-Shabaab without the risk of being perceived as occupying a neighbouring country.

The AU also pays for the mission.

On Wednesday, even as they passed the motion, MPs cautioned against the risk of Kenya being caught up in an endless war in Somalia.

Need for exit strategy

MPs supported the government decision through a motion introduced to the House by Defence Minister Yusuf Haji, but called for caution and the need for an exit strategy.

They urged the government to look for a structure where the Kenya Defence Force enjoys some degree of command and operational independence.

The 9,000-strong Amisom forces currently operating in Mogadishu are commanded by a Ugandan general and it was not immediately clear whether this would continue to be the case when the KDF join the mission.

Defence assistant minister David Musila said it would be a grave mistake to leave the operation half-way, cautioning that this would expose Kenya to danger.

Amisom is a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the UN and is mandated to conduct peace support operations in Somalia.

The Cabinet last week approved an African Union request that Kenyan forces battling Al-Shabaab join Amisom.

“The Cabinet that met under the chairmanship of President Kibaki at State House Nairobi also approved the re-hatting of the Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia to Amisom, subject to approval by Parliament,” said an emailed statement on Tuesday.

The Cabinet also approved the hosting of the Nairobi Summit on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia early next year.

Kenya, which launched an incursion in Somalia mid-October, committed to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development Heads of States Summit in Addis Ababa in November its willingness to join the 9000-strong Amisom force.

Kenya had expressed willingness to bolster the African Union troops on condition that the forces’ mandate was changed to reflect the security situation on the ground.

Currently, Amisom’s mandate restricts it to operate only in Mogadishu as a peace-keeping force where it is providing security to the Transitional Federal Government.

Director of communications in the Department of Defence Bogita Ongeri said no agreement had been reached on whether the KDF would be deployed in Mogadishu.

“The AU mission will be divided into sectors with the Amisom mission widened to include places outside Mogadishu,” Mr Ongeri said.

KDF would be given one of the sectors to operate from, he added.