Kenyan troops on special training in Tanzania return home

Kenyan troops who took part in a joint training on counter terrorism, disaster and emergency response in Tanzania will return home on Sunday.

The group of 60 comprised officers drawn from the KDF, police and prison departments who joined their counterparts from the EAC member states in a two-week Command Post Exercise training in Dar es Salaam.

The skills exchange programme was attended by more than 300 security officers from five countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

The exercise, code-named Ushirikiano Imara 2017, was held at the Tanzania People’s Defence Forces Peace Training Centre in Dar es Salaam from December 4.

The exercise has been held annually since 2011 and is organized on a ratational basis among the EAC partner states.

It is based on disater management, peace support operations and counter-terrorism and piracy.

The Kenyan contingent was led by KDF chief of training Brigadier Charles Kang’ethe and CPX deputy director Brigadier Godfrey Buluma.

Read: KDF, police and prisons officers in Tanzania for counter-terrorism training

The delegation has personnel from the KDF’s tri-service – Army, Air Force and Navy, National Police Service, The Kenya Prisons Service, the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs, the Kenya Maritime Authority, and the National Disaster Operations Centre.

CPX is conducted by the EAC Partner States pursuant to the EAC Protocol on Cooperation in defence affairs.

The objective of CPX is to improve joint operations and readiness between defence forces and other stakeholders in response to complex security challenges.

The areas of cooperation are embedded in the Protocol on four pillars to include military training, joint operations, technical cooperation and visits and exchange of information.

The joint exercise was based on a peace support operation, counter terrorism, counter piracy and disaster management.

It is aimed at bringing together the military, police and civilian components from six EAC Partner States in planning, developing strategies and conducting activities necessary to resolve a crisis.

The event was closed by the Tanzanian Foreign Minister Augustine Mahiga.

Mahiga said terrorists are dynamic and are now employing asymmetric tactics like the internet in their recruitment.

“The status of international terrorism now is more sinister than it has ever been. Terrorists are now regrouping and targeting civilians deliberately,” Mahiga said.

“They invade the military or the police in order to discredit them and they attack civilians in order to discredit governments that you cannot protect your civilians. That is why they are attacking innocent civilians so that civilians can say you cannot protect us.”

Vice Chief of the Defence Forces Lieutenant General Joseph Kasaon represented the CDF General Samson Mwathethe during the closing ceremony.

Kasaon was accompanied by Assistant Chief of Defence Forces in charge of Operations, Doctrine and Training Major General Adan Mulata.