Kismayo– Kenyan troops serving with the African Union peace mission in Somalia joined their countrymen on Thursday in celebrating 60 years of independence from colonial rule.
“It is on this day that the founding fathers of our nation seized power from the former British colonial government and formed the first indigenous government of Kenya,” said Brig. Gen. Lukas Kutto, Commander of Sector 6, the base for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) contingent in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
Presiding over the ‘Madaraka Day’ celebrations, the Brig. Gen. said they were important in promoting unity and solidarity among Kenyans and fellow Africans.
On 1 June 1963, Kenya gained its right to internal self-government giving it autonomy from years of colonial rule before attaining full independence in December of the same year.
“Madaraka day is significant in Kenya’s history,” he declared. “We celebrate this day to remind the future generations about our struggle to attain internal self-rule.”
Brig. Gen. Kuto praised the KDF soldiers for their dedication to fulfilling the ATMIS mandate, noting their sacrifices and hard work had contributed significantly to the progress made in restoring peace, security and stability in Somalia.
“We continue to mentor the Somali Security Forces (SSF), to prepare them to take over security responsibilities of Somalia. We have also trained the Somali National Army (SNA) and held numerous joint operations to build their capacity to secure the country,” he added.
Alongside Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Uganda, Kenya is among five countries that contribute troops to the ATMIS.
Under ATMIS deployment, Kenyan troops are based in Sector Two which is headquartered in Dhobley town along the Kenya-Somalia border and Sector 6 in the southern port city of Kismayo which they jointly secure with Ethiopian troops.
The celebrations were attended by senior ATMIS, UN and Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) officials among them ATMIS Sector 6 Deputy Commander Col. Tesit Nightie and Chief Security Officer of Kismayo Airport, Mohamed Ahmed Hayi.