Kenya to withdraw troops from South Sudan

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said Kenya will stop its contribution to the South Sudan peace mission following the sacking of Lieutenant General Johnson Ondieki as commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan (Unmiss) in the war-torn nation.

Speaking at the Kenya Military Academy in Lanet, Nakuru, on Thursday, President Kenyatta said Kenya will no longer be a part of the mission and activities in South Sudan.

He said: “..and I say now that we will discontinue our contribution of troops to the proposed regional protection force. “…for our part, we will no longer contribute to a mission that has failed to meet its mandate and which has now resorted to scapegoating Kenyans.”

Mr Kenyatta further faulted Tuesday's decision by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to sack the Kenyan general, accusing it of using Kenya a scapegoat.

Lt-Gen Ondieki, appointed in May, was fired based on a special report that accused the force of failing to protect civilians during the July violence in Juba that lasted for four days between July 8 and 11.

The UN body blamed the mission’s leadership for failing to stanch the violence.

A report compiled by the team accused peacekeepers of deserting their posts and failing to come to the defence of aid workers who were attacked in a hotel that was not far from them.

It also accused the leadership of being ill-prepared to deal with the violence.

Citing serious shortcomings in the leadership, the UN chief ordered immediate replacement of the force commander.

But the Kenyan president said the UN cannot blame an individual for a problem he said arose from systemic failures.

“A matter of concern has now arisen…events involving the United Nations Mission in South Sudan led the United Nations Secretariat to place the blame for a systematic failure on an individual Kenyan commander,” the president said.

The president said the country has demonstrated its commitment to the mission by providing military officers to serve in various peace missions.

“I must state very clearly that Kenya serves in these missions not because we have to, but because from the time of our independence we have been clear in our understanding and our desire for global peace and stability in full recognition that as part of the international community, global peace, regional peace also means peace for Kenya,” he said.

WAR ON TERROR

The president added that Kenya's efforts have not been appreciated.

“…we will not allow ourselves at any moment, at any time, to be taken for granted. Our men and women serve with honour, with valour and with complete professionalism…and let it not be forgotten that some lost their lives in peace keeping missions.”

The more than 100 junior officers commissioned form the fourth batch to be trained in Bachelor of Science degree in military studies through a partnership between the department of defence and Kenyatta University.

The group that includes officers from Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi is scheduled to graduate in December 2016 at Kenyatta University.

President Kenyatta said the group will join the force to help combat terrorism and extremism.

“Terrorist and extremist groups are unusually cruel in an unusually cruel way…threatening our way of life here at home while jeopardizing the entire global order,” he said.

Thus he said the country will not relent in its war against Al-Shabaab.

“We have fought them in Somalia and we will continue to meet their cowardice with our courage. We will fight until these evil groups are destroyed. And make no mistake, we intend to win this war,” he said.