Opposition leader Raila Odinga has weighed in on the Al Shabaab attack that left an unspecified number of Kenyan soldiers in war-torn Somalia dead.
The CORD leader wants President Uhuru Kenyatta to immediately convene an emergency Cabinet meeting to address the attack on Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers.
“It is our expectation that at this sad moment for our nation, the President should suspend all activities and convene an emergency session of the Cabinet which will provide way forward and guidance to our people. Nothing can be more important to our people at this moment,” Odinga's statement read in part.
Secondly, Raila called on the Head of State to declare a two-day mourning period, during which all flags should be hoisted half-mast, in honour of the gallant soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“Because of the physical and psychological magnitude of this tragedy, we wish to appeal to the government to declare a two-day period of national mourning beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, January 19, 2016,” he stated.
Lastly, amid the speculations on the number of casualties suffered after the Friday morning attack, the Opposition has challenged the government to provide information on dead casualties, survivors and circumstances that led to the tragedy.
Earlier Monday, the Chief of Defence Forces General Samson Mwathethe declined to disclose the number of soldiers who perished in the attack on an AMISOM camp in El-Adde, Gedo.
Meanwhile, soldiers who were critically injured have been airlifted from Somalia for further treatment, as more KDF troops intensify retaliatory attacks on the militants.
General Mwathethe indicated that they would avenge every drop of blood shed by the slain and injured soldiers.
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