President Uhuru blundered on pullout from South Sudan

A senior Kenyan commander of the United Nations Peace Keeping Force in South Sudan Lt. General Johnson Ondieki was recently dropped following an indictment of dereliction of duty that led to the attack, killing and rape of civilians and aid workers by warring forces of the SPLA and those of rebel leader Riek Machar.

This has triggered a needless diplomatic tiff that has seen the Kenyan government withdraw her troops from South Sudan in a move that can only be described as blind pride on the part of Kenya.

For a lack of a clear foreign policy and putting national interest above all else, Kenya has again exhibited the myopic statehood in which the interest of the majority is sacrificed for a narrow interest.

It goes without saying that the foreign policy of this country remains at the personal whims of the President. This begs several questions. Who is advising the President on defence matters? Did they advice him on the withdrawal of troops from South Sudan or is it possible that this is a continuation of public relations stunts of this regime?

Kenyans have heavily invested in South Sudan. That the Government could go ahead and withdraw our troops from a region in which we hold so much interest speaks volumes about the priorities of the present administration.

You would expect this country to be thinking of how to export our trained labour in such fields as teaching, medicine, construction and others to neighbouring States, especially given our exponential high unemployment situation.