Duale announces KDF Somali exit plan by December 2024

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) under the African Union Transmission Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) will exit the neighbouring country by December next year, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has announced.

This even as he disclosed that the families of KDF officers who die while on duty in the country are compensated with Sh4 million while those who died while serving under ATMIS are compensated Sh7 million with the provision of psychosocial support to the current and retired personnel and their families.

According to Duale, the families who have lost their loved ones are entitled to a compensation package that includes financial support, which is promptly disbursed within three weeks.

“Each soldier gets Sh4 million above their pension which has death gratuity. However, if one was serving in ATMIS then AU and UN give $50,000 (Sh7 million) above the Sh4 million from the government,” he said.

However, delays he said come in when families don’t agree on who to get the compensation with the disputes making the compensation take longer.

In addition, Duale said KDF and Kenyans have over the years suffered casualties, including loss of lives, but said the government cannot make public the exact number of injuries and fatalities due to security considerations.

Lost lives

Duale, however, declined to reveal the number of KDF soldiers who have lost their lives during the mission that began in 2012, even as he said the government has put in place compensation packages for affected families.

 “I request that I avoid tabling statistics on the injuries and casualties to be made public and our biggest worry is that this will be used as a propaganda tool by our enemies and terrorists. Every individual who loses their life in Service is honoured and accorded military burial rites, memorial services conducted and medals of honour bestowed posthumously, as applicable,” said Duale.

While responding to the Senator’s questions on the floor of the House, Duale charged that the more than 4,000 drawdown from ATMIS, formerly the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), is already underway and is being done in four phases.

He said the KDF officers are serving under ATMIS through the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council with the approval of the United Nations Security Council.

Duale said the drawdown of the troops began in April last year and that the plan will end on December 31, 2024, as part of the ongoing ATMIS phase-out strategy that aims to gradually transfer security responsibilities to the Somali Security Forces under the Somalia transition plan. “The last troops are supposed to leave Somalia on December 31, 2024, as per the AU and UN Security Council resolution and plan,” said Duale.

He pointed out that the decision of Kenya troops to exit Somalia depends on several factors including the progress of the ATMIS mandate and the prevailing security and political conditions in Somalia.

Phase one drawdown

However, he said already phase one of the drawdown has been completed where a total of 2,000 ATMIS forces exited in June 2023. The number included 400 troops each from Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia, 600 troops from Burundi, and 200 from Djibouti. He said that phase two of the plan, to exit 3,000 troops, was planned for September 30 where Kenya was supposed to withdraw 754 security officers, including 600 KDF and 154 other officers serving in different categories.

However, the plan was technically paused awaiting the decision of the AU and the UN on a request made by the Somali Federal government for a three-month extension, which Duale said will only succeed if the AU or UN Councils approve.

“This extension is because currently the Somali government and Somali security forces have been engaging in a serious war with Al Shabaab in the central part of Somalia,” he said.

The former National Assembly Majority leader said phase three of the drawdown strategy was to commence on October 1 to June 2024 when 4,000 KDF troops will be drawdown.

He explained that the last phase, signifying the final exit, would take place between July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, adding that during the fourth phase, all the remaining ATMIS troops from Kenyan and other troop-contributing countries will exit Somalia.

“If there will be a change of plan, then that decision does not lie with the government of Kenya but with the AU Peace and Security Council and UN Security Council,” he said. Nonetheless, the CS warned that Kenya’s full exit from Somalia would depend on the national security interest of the country.

“We will analyze post-ATMIS withdrawal having in mind the national security interest of our country. Any decision made for KDF to exit Somalia should be in the best interest of the country as far as our national security interest is concerned,” said the CS.