No wireless sets for soldiers heading to Northern Kenya

KDF soldiers firing mortars at suspected Al-Shabab positions in Fafadun township, Somalia. [George Mulala, Standard]

Troops fighting bandits and Kenya's external forces have always been getting the short end of the stick and have to beg for the proper equipment to combat their foes.

This habit of neglecting soldiers can be traced back to the colonial period. Although there were no guerilla outfits in North Eastern Kenya then, even in the 1920s it was still a daunting task for the Kenya African Rifles soldiers deployed to keep that frontier secure and external aggressors, at bay.