Kisii residents and leaders have expressed solidarity with families of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers who were recently killed in Somalia.
Kisii governor, James Ongwae, said he is in solidarity with the government as they mourn the deaths of the soldiers who lost their lives in the battlefield.
''I send my condolences to the families that lost their loved ones. As Kisii County, we are together with them,'' said Ongwae.
Ongwae, who was speaking on Sunday at Gusii Stadium, said that Kenyans need to pray for the country together with our soldiers who are in Somalia.
Residents who were interviewed in the streets of Kisii town on Monday said the Kenyan soldiers should not withdraw from Somalia but instead accomplish their mission so that Al-Shabaab can know that Kenyans are not cowed by terrorism. They pointed out that if KDF backed down, the country would be prone to attacks as it will now be vulnerable.
According to the interviewees, the killings should not discourage Kenyan families from enrolling their sons and daughters into the KDF to secure the nation’s borders. The residents stressed that irrespective of ethnic, religious and political party affiliation, terrorism must be fought and eradicated internationally.