Friday, August 21, 2015
MOGADISHU Somalia -- Members of the Kenya Defence Committee of Parliament have concluded a two day visit to Somalia where they held meetings with Somali parliamentarians, senior government officials as well as officials from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Led by the Deputy Chairman of the Defence Committee IIyas Barre Shill, the Kenyan team which arrived in Mogadishu on Tuesday commended the role the African Union Forces are playing in pacifying Somalia, adding that parts of Southern Somalia that had the biggest concentration of Al Shabaab militants is now safe, due to the on-going operation along the Jubba corridor.
The legislators emphasized the need to support Somalia not just in the fight against the Al Shabaab, but also in rebuilding its institutions. They said the aim of the Kenya government was also to forge closer relationships with the Somali government and the people of Somalia.
A member of the committee Wafula Wamunyinyi lauded the contributions of the Kenya Defence Force (KDF) in significantly reducing terror cells in Somalia. He however said administrative units needed to be put in place outside Mogadishu to enable governance structures to thrive in the grassroots.