NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 9 – The National Assembly has approved the deployment of 903 troops from Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) being sent to the troubled Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on a Sh4.4 billion taxpayers’ budget for a six month period.
This follows recommendation made by the house Defence and Foreign relation committee chaired by Belgut MP Nelson Koech.
Koech stated that the bilateral relations between Kenya and DRC has pushed the nation to deploy security consignment due to vested business interest.
“The KDF forces and Kenya Army are anticipating in an event that they spill over for a period of one year which will cost Sh5.5 billion to Sh6 billion. Its however envisaged that international financing may be secured and the CS Defense will appraise the house accordingly,” he said.
Vice Chair of the Committee Abdullah Bashir defended the Sh4.4 budget being bankrolled by the taxpayers explaining that peace initiatives are costly regionally and that already they have received commitment on international funding.
“To ensure that our troops are comfortable in terms of their own safety, its call upon the government to ensure that our troops are well equipped and that’s why we have additional funding which go to the issue of equipment,” said Bashir.
Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa supported the motion saying that despite Kenya not having a shared border with the DRC. Kenyans have invested a lot in the troubled nation and there is a greater need to secure their investment.
“Its in the interest of our region and as the big brother we have the responsibility to ensure that we pacify our region and that the region is secure so that Kenyans can be able to transact business,”said Ichung’wa.
However, Nyando MP Jared Okello questioned why the government was set to disburse Sh 4.4 billion to fund the peace initiative yet millions of Kenyans were suffering in various part of the countries due to the ongoing drought.
“We see people and livestock dying and our country has made an appeal for other countries to help us due to the situation. On the flipside we have some money to take our soldiers somewhere in a war that we have nothing to do with,” said Okello.
In the report tabled before the house, the committee observed that the deployment of the troops aligned with the country interest economically due to bilateral trade between the two countries.
“Kenya will also be in a position to secure its vital interests including Kenyan businesses like Banks operating in the DRC, numerous Kenyan business people in the DRC, bilateral trade with the DRC, and utilization of the Mombasa port by the DRC among others,” the report stated.
The Defense Committee cited that Kenya had received a lot of goodwill in the quest to restore stability in the nation among the six countries that have deployed their troops to the war torn nation.
With the country not having a shared border with DRC they are perceived to be the neutral arbiter in the ongoing peace stability quest.
“The Kenyan Contingent (KENCON) had a lot of goodwill from residents of Eastern DRC due to the fact that Kenya doesn’t share a border with the DRC and therefore had no direct vested interests in the Great Lakes Conflict Ecosystem,” the report read.
The National Security Council had on July 7 during the campaigns approved the sending of the security consignment and since the National Assembly had gone on a sina-dae, there was no house to approve the cause.
Kenya is expected to send the troops to the troubled nation which is faced with a major security challenge in the eastern part.
Armed groups in eastern DRC have stepped up attacks, reviving ancient animosities and unleashing a surge in tension with neighboring Rwanda.
Leaders of the East African Community (EAC) agreed in April to establish a joint force to help restore security in the region.
The Kenyan troops, who will be part of the East African Community (EAC) force were deployed on Wednesday, at a ceremony presided over by President William Ruto and Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Robert Kibochi.
“I have had extensive consultations with EAC leaders and we have all agreed that it is our collective responsibility to keep our region and the continent safe. In that extensive consultation, I have come to the conclusion that it is necessary and urgent to make this deployment.”
The troops will join a regional force that includes soldiers from Burundi, Uganda and South Sudan.
The African Union (AU) officials last week appealed for an end to the growing violence in the DRC, a day after rebels made further progress there and Kinshasa expelled Rwanda’s ambassador.
In their statement, the AU officials called for an immediate ceasefire.
