The government of Kenya has discussed with the US over the East Africa nation’s bid to withdraw from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
During a meeting between the visiting US members of the House of Representatives and the Senate with their Kenyan counterparts led by Senate Deputy Speaker Kithure Kindiki, the sides discussed over support Kenya’s bid to withdraw AMISOM.
The US senators will only support the move if President Donald Trump’s administration establishes that Kenya’s pulling out would not lead to the re-emergence of al-Shabaab.
Led by US representative for North Carolina’s David Eugene Price, the American lawmakers heard that Kenya was ready to pull out their troops to allow the Somali government to manage its security affairs.
“We have told them that as a country, the end game, is for Somalia to be able to manage the affairs of their own country,” Prof Kindiki.
“We will have told them (US congress) that the position of our country is to ensure the Federal government of Somalia is empowered and capacitated to adequately to run their government,” he added.
Kenya is the fifth and last country to contribute Police to AU Mission in Somalia.
The first batch comprising of 21 Individual Police Officers (IPO) arrived in December 2013.
Six of the recently deployed IPOs are currently serving at the Mission Headquarters and 21 more stationed in the various AMISOM sectors.
