Daily Nation
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
Two Cabinet ministers and three security chiefs pushed President Kibaki
into endorsing the decision to send Kenyan troops to war in Somalia, an
international watchdog claims.The International Crisis Group claims in its latest report that
President Kibaki was reluctant to give the greenlight and was only
prevailed upon by Internal Security minister George Saitoti, his Defence
counterpart Yusuf Haji, Chief of Kenya Defence Forces, Gen Julius
Karangi, Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere and National Security
Intelligence Service chief Michael Gichangi.
The report warns against capturing the port city of Kismayu with a view to choking Al-Shabaab’s cash supply.
The United Nations Monitoring Group estimates that
between Sh2.9 billion ($35 million) and Sh4.1 billion ($50 million) per
year is generated from revenue from the port of Kismayu, of which at
least Sh1.2 billion ($15 million) is trade in charcoal and sugar.
“All indications are that urban combat would be
costly. The likely massive loss of civilian life would damage the goal
of countering terrorism to weaken Al-Shabaab.”