Kenya Defence Forces during a national parade. Retired General says that KDF has a role to play in country's internal affairs. [Photo: mygov.go.ke]
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have a role to play in Kenya's internal affairs.
Lt-Gen (Rtd) Humphrey Njoroge has told the Nation that contrary to what many Kenyans believe, the military has a role to play in our civilian life as it is mandated in the Constitution.Njoroge notes that the primary role of the defence forces is to protect the country from external enemies but have a secondary role which is to intervene internally to save it from humanitarian, natural and man-made disasters."If the expensively maintained institution of the KDF stood idly by and watched the country consume itself in the flames of politically instigated violence, it would be a gross dereliction of duty. It would be a crime against the nation," Njoroge writes on Monday's Daily Nation.He adds: "What the nation must do is to separate constitutionally required national security duty from partisan politics. Partisan political activity is prohibited in the military by law. On no account should the forces align themselves with any political party to seek or gain power.This goes for the sitting government as well: It cannot use the military to advance its cause under the guise of national security duty. If it tried to do that, it should be called out."He, however, notes that the President has a key duty to protect the country from its enemies, both internal and external and one of the resources available to him while doing this is the defence forces.The retired General says the implications of politicising the military or playing politics with it could be grievous and deadly."In very simple terms, a military that ceases to be the neutral custodian of national security results in State collapse. Both the government and the opposition must, therefore, internalise the vital role a neutral, patriotic and loyal military plays as a safeguard to national stability and survival," said the General who also participated in the suppression of the 1982 coup attempt in Kenya and was the Commandant of the National Defence College before retirement.