5 smart reasons why Kenya should not withdraw KDF from Somalia

It is now almost two months since alShabaab militants attacked and overran an African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base manned by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) at El Adde, Gedo Region of Somalia. In its wake, it left heavy fatalities. So far, the government has not issued an official number of fatalities, casualties, survivors or those taken as prisoners of war (POW). Initially, alShabaab put the number of soldiers killed at 63 with Somalia President recently quoted by a section of press putting the number of fatalities at 200. All in all, this was one of the heaviest military disasters since Operation Linda Nchi was launched in October 2011.

Now that tensions and emotions have receded, it might be appropriate to revisit the merits and demerits of the continued KDF presence in Somalia as part of AMISOM. The Commander in Chief has made it clear that Kenya will be in Somalia for the long haul until the initial aim of the deployment; stabilization of Somalia, is achieved. The government’s position may have been informed by a number of factors and precedence’s including the following;