Troops cannot stay in Somalia indefinitely

The message coming from the warfront in southern Somalia is that the fall of Kismayu could be imminent.

Briefings by the Kenya Defence Forces tend to paint a rosy picture of events at the front of the battle, but it can reasonably be said that KDF forces, alongside Ethiopian and Somali troops and friendly militia are preparing for a decisive battle that should put Amisom in full control of southern Somalia for the first time in years.

This means it is about time that Kenyans began asking what comes afterwards. What plans does Amisom have to stabilise the areas they say have been emptied of the Al Shabaab threat?

Despite now being part of Amisom, Kenya cannot remain in Somalia indefinitely and ultimately the game plan must include a democratic option that allows Somalis to govern their own country.

Initially when KDF went in, the Government was very guarded in responding to questions over the endgame, but it cannot do so any longer.

Kenyans have died and been maimed because of the intervention in Somalia and that is a fact.

The initial objective as stated by the Government was to end the kidnapping of tourists and aid workers, allegedly by the Al Shabaab or their sympathisers.

However, it was later reported that Kenya wished to create a buffer zone between along its border with the war torn nation that would reduce the security threats posed by the flow of illegal arms, terrorists and other scum.

Understandably, this is not a subject the Ministry of State for Defence is comfortable discussing, but having committed the KDF to battle the militia, some accountability is called for under the new Constitution.

Amisom has had it rough in Somalia after taking over from the Ethiopians and it was not until the arrival of KDF in the South that the tide began to change with the peacekeepers now in control of Mogadishu.

So Kenya’s intervention has had many positives. Areas liberated by KDF and allied forces are now relative peaceful but the real challenge is in ensuring the rest of the country is also pacified and resident scan now have access to relief food without the fear it will be seized by Al Shabaab to be used as bargaining chips to secure their cooperation.

This is important because food insecurity accounts for a major chunk of refugees that swarm across the border to the camps in Dadaab, Ifo and others, worsening the security and humanitarian nightmare in this part of Kenya.

KDF and its allies have been building alliances with various clans to ensure a smooth administration of liberated areas.

Additionally, halting the flow of illegal weapons is critical to national security. A recent police report indicated that Kenya is awash with assault weapons and other high calibre guns that find their way into the country through the border.

North Eastern Kenya has borne the brunt of revenge attacks by suspected Al; Shabaab sympathisers. The security of the residents is paramount and the Government did the right thing in sending more police officers to the area, especially after the massacre of 17 worshippers in a church in Garissa.

But the State must draw up a more sustainable security plan. It must boost its intelligence network and track down every foreign militant and their sympathisers hiding among the population. However, in doing this, it must take care that innocent Kenyans and their families do not suffer harassment by security personnel.

Now that Kenyan troops are under Amisom, it is hoped the Ministry of State for Defence will reduce the billions in cash it would have spent sustaining Kenyan forces in Somalia.

Treasury should redirect the billions of shillings saved to the Ministry of Internal Security to beef up national security infrastructure.

Besides hiring more spies, the State should invest in more vehicles and updated communication equipment for the police as well as a national crime database.