[A section of KDF soldiers during a past operation in Somalia. Credible sources within the military hints that junior soldiers are unhappy with the ongoing operation against Alshabaab due to frustrations from top leadership. Photo/horseedmedia.net]
What started as a genuine war against Somali based Islamic militants- Alshabaab has allegedly been turned to a business to enrich top military brass and subsequent betrayal of junior officers.
In 2011, retired President Mwai Kibaki and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga sent Kenyan troops to Somali to counter growing threats of the Islamic militant group, which had been linked with a series of abductions of foreign tourists and aid workers inside the country.
Dubbed ‘operation Linda Nchi’, Kenyan troops were tasked to work with Somali National Army to weaken and vanquish the insurgents, a mission which partly succeeded when the troops captured Kismayu Port in 2012, a town believed to have sustained commercial activities of the militants.
But despite the gains, growing discomfort among junior officers deployed in Somalia and North East part of the country could be a blow to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government, should the crisis escalate.
Poor weaponry, forceful deployment of soldiers to Somalia and unprecedented slow response whenever soldiers are under attack, has allegedly led to disquiet among the officers serving the country in the war torn nation.
“We are given archaic weapons that cannot march destructive weapons being used by the militants. I have been in military for quite a while and I wonder why those responsible fail to acquire modern arsenals because UN always give cash for the same,” said an officer attached to Somalia, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to strict military rules.
The soldier further said: “Previously, fighting in foreign countries was a voluntary exercise but we are now being deployed forcefully. This has killed the spirit within the military.”
Also, junior soldiers are concerned with the rapid response unit within the military, arguing that it takes over six hours for Defense Headquarters to respond whenever Kenyan soldiers are under attack.
“I have been in Somalia and I think the country is losing this war. The response unit is quite wanting because they take over six hours to give reinforcement whenever we are under attack,” added another soldier who served in Somalia in 2012.
Unfortunately, Kenya has lost a substantive number of soldiers with at least 200 believed to have died in the line of duty, if the information given to one of the soldiers is anything to go by.
“I have lost over 200 colleagues and that is a fact. In Kulbiyo, the figure was 31 while in El Adde, over 120 died,” said the officer.
The exact number of soldiers who died in El Adde is yet to be made public despite Army Chief, General Samson Mwathethe promising to form a commission of enquiry.
“The officers feel being used to protect interests of the unknown and we have lost hope. We are forced to protect illegal businesses just to satisfy them. We are tired,” said the Somali- based officers without disclosing the name of illegal businesses.
Retired officer Sargent Clement Momanyi partly agrees with the ordeals the officers are going through adding that the matter should be solved urgently.
“Though this is not unique, the army uses outdated weapons which can do little in battle grounds. Something urgent ought to be done,” he says.
Kenyan soldiers were amalgamated were formally amalgamated with their colleagues from neighboring countries under African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in 2012.