February 23, 2012
The United Nations Security Council is on Wednesday expected to formally approve the integration of 2,500 Kenyan troops to the African Union forces battling Al-Shabaab militia.
This comes as the world’s focus shifts to London on Thursday, where lasting peace and stability to the war-ravaged Somalia will be sought.
Al-Shabaab recently announced it had joined world terror gang, Al-Qaeda.
This integration would save Kenya billions of shillings, with donor nations taking over the cost of maintaining Kenyan forces in southern Somalia.
Kenya’s UN ambassador Macharia Kamau says he expects the council to approve the plan despite misgivings about its cost by France, one of the council’s five permanent members.
Full burden
“Kenya has been carrying the full burden of the international community’s responsibility,” Mr Kamau told the Nation last week.
On Tuesday, President Kibaki led a delegation including Internal Security minister George Saitoti and Defence’s Yusuf Haji to the conference hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Also expected at the talks are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.
The UN appropriated $304 million (Sh24 billion) to support Amisom in the fiscal year ending this June. The US and EU cover most of that cost.
The UN also oversees an Amisom Trust Fund to which other donors had contributed $39 million between 2009 and 2011.
By LUCAS BARASA and KEVIN KELLY
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