Speaking at the welcoming ceremony for the 15th Chinese Navy Escort Task Force in Mombasa, Defence Secretary Raychelle Omamo emphasised that the initiative will put Kenya in a better position to improve regional stability.
She said this will help the country fight better against the global threat of terrorism and piracy.
“May I express my deep appreciation and gratitude to the Chinese government for dispatching its People’s Liberation Army’s Navy escort Task Force. This will go a long way not only in improving the security along pour borders and in our waters but also to enhance Kenya’s role in peace keeping activities in Africa and beyond,” she stated.
She further pointed out that China’s continued military support will enhance Kenya’s role in peace-keeping activities in Africa and beyond.
Various parts of the country have suffered a series of grenade attacks since the Kenya Defence Forces incursion into southern Somalia.
The latest attack took place on Thursday where 10 people were wounded when attackers hurled a grenade into a bar in Diani, on Kenya’s South Coast.
Since Kenyan troops invaded southern Somalia in October 2011 to help oust the neighbouring country’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab insurgents, it has been hit by a series of attacks.
Last month, attackers hurled a grenade at British tourists as they drove from Diani to the main port city of Mombasa, but it failed to explode.
Homegrown groups including the Islamist Al-Hijra group, a radical organisation formerly known as the Muslim Youth Centre, operate on Kenya’s coast and have been linked to the Shabaab.
The Shabaab claimed the brutal September assault on Nairobi’s upmarket Westgate mall in which at least 67 people died in a four-day siege of the shopping centre popular with foreigners.