President Uhuru defend increased military engagement in civilian duties
President Uhuru Kenyatta has defended the increased military engagement in civilian duties in his administration dismissing claims of militarising the government.
He said the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has been instrumental in accelerating reforms and development in key government departments.
“With the mandate that you gave me, we silenced the wave of terror attacks that had a strangle hold on our Nation. We achieved this by retooling our security organs and making them more capable to address the dynamic contemporary security challenges that Kenya faces,” he said.
Additionally, the President said National Security and Defence has been a priority area since 2013 since the country cannot deliver on the National Anthem’s promise of ‘plenty within our borders’ if those borders were porous and insecure.
“I, therefore, made your security a top priority because I know that without a secure environment no life can flourish, and no enterprise can thrive,” he said.
“To our security officers, because of your commitment to defend our Nation and to squarely face new dangers, every citizen is able to participate in the socio-economic development of our Nation. You keep us free, preserve our way of life, and allow us all to enjoy the present as well as the better tomorrow that is upon us.”
For the past two year, KDF and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Robert Kibochi have increasingly become more visible in the running of the country.
Last month marked two years since Kibochi was picked to replace General Samsom Mwathethe as CDF.
An analysis of his first one year in office paints the portrait of a military general whose work has so far been impressive and who has been spared the misfortunes of his predecessor, who witnessed the worst attacks on KDF troops.
At the KMC, machines that are as old as the country’s independence are back in shape as the facility roars to full operational capacity, the first time in several decades.
And for the first time, the agency, which only made a profit shortly after it was set up sometime in the 1950s, is hoping to bury its long streak of losses.
