Kenya and the United Kingdom (UK) have signed a five-year Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) to tackle shared threats across East Africa.
The agreement was signed by Defence Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma and UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace at a side event during President Uhuru Kenyatta three day visit to the UK.
The two defence leaders said that this agreement will anchor the defence priorities between the two nations over the next five years.
“Our two nations have a long and proud history of military cooperation, working together on land, sea and air to find shared solutions to our shared challenges, include countering the threat from terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab,” the duo said in a joint statement.
This comes six months after the two defence secretaries met in Nairobi to deepen wider stability and security cooperation as part of the Kenya-UK strategic partnership.
Wallace said that they agreed on a range of measures to keep both of countries safer.
“Kenya has long been our defence partner of choice in East Africa and, in a more uncertain world, we will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as we tackle the threats of tomorrow,” he said.
Juma said the two countries have reaffirmed their commitment to defence cooperation.
“The framework underpinning this strategic relationship is the Defence Cooperation Agreement, which has become an invaluable tool for enhancing competencies of our defence forces. Our cooperation continues to significantly improve ability of our forces to operate effectively in high-threat environments,” said Juma.
Once ratified by respective parliaments, the new DCA will allow millitaries from both countries to share expertise, experience and techniques.