Elite KDF Soldiers Get Ksh575 Million Worth of Training in America

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A collage image of President Uhuru Kenyatta (LEFT) and US President Joe Biden (RIGHT).
File

The United States military spent Ksh575 million to train elite Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldiers in various military schools across America between 2019 and 2020.

This is according to the latest volume of a Foreign Military Training Report released by the US Department of Defense.

A compact squad of Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) was drilled in field artillery, terrorism and security studies, cybersecurity practice, aviation, and field intelligence.

The training took place in America’s finest military centres, namely the Army War College, Eisenhower School, Naval Command College, Naval Staff College and Squadron Officer School (SOS) Preparatory School for airmen.

U.S. Air Force, airmen from the 475th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron conduct a flag-raising ceremony at Camp Simba, Manda Bay, Kenya on August 26, 2019.
U.S. Air Force, airmen from the 475th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron conduct a flag-raising ceremony at Camp Simba, Manda Bay, Kenya on August 26, 2019.
US Air Force

The program was part of Kenya’s strategic partnership with America to counter terrorism in the Horn of Africa. Currently, Kenya’s military is in the works of revamping its military prowess.

This is aimed at better defending Kenya from acts of terror by Al Shabaab. 

In June 2021, US President Joe Biden announced the deployment of special troops to aid Kenya in suppressing threats from the Somali extremist group. 

In May 2021, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta commissioned operational vehicles and engineering equipment refurbished by the KDF technical team.

“The team tasked with the restoration exercise has given life to what was thought dead, bringing back into operation equipment that had otherwise been written off,” remarked President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The Head of State noted that the rehabilitation of the vehicles and engineering equipment would save Kenyan taxpayers billions of shillings as well as significantly enhance the Kenyan military's operational capabilities.

However, Kenya’s war against Al Shabaab has not been devoid of challenges. Recently, the 28-member European Union (EU) halved the budget for troops fighting the Al Shabaab militia by a staggering Ksh4.5 billion. 

This was after a partial withdrawal of Kenyan troops from the battlefield in 2020. However, President Kenyatta maintained that KDF would remain active in Somalia until peace was achieved.

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Robert Kibochi guides President Uhuru Kenyatta and Defense CS Dr. Monica Juma in a tour of the Boni Training Camp.
Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Robert Kibochi guides President Uhuru Kenyatta on a tour of the Boni Training Camp, Lamu on July 21, 2020.
PSCU
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