Kenya Secures $48.04 Million for Efforts Against Al-Shabaab in Somalia
NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya has received a total of $48.04 million as compensation for the Kenya Defence Forces’ (KDF) involvement in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) for the just concluded 2022/23 period. This represents a significant 93% increase compared to the previous year’s reimbursement. The funds were disbursed to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, formerly known as the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).
In the previous financial year, Kenya received refunds amounting to $36 million, making this year’s disbursement the second highest since Kenya joined the mission in Somalia. Additionally, in June 2021, international partners, led by the European Union, released $89.4 million in support of Kenya’s operations. The Treasury of Kenya manages the costs of operations before receiving reimbursements from international partners. Over the past 11 years, Kenya has received a total of $586.5 million in the form of reimbursement.
Kenya officially deployed approximately 4,660 soldiers to Somalia in October 2011 in response to continuous attacks and abductions carried out by Al-Shabaab militants within its borders. Since then, the number of deployed troops has gradually decreased. In 2012, the UN Security Council granted Kenya permission to join Amisom, relieving the Treasury from bearing the full costs of the incursion.
The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia has already begun withdrawing troops, with the initial batch of 2,000 soldiers leaving in June 2022. Another batch of 3,000 soldiers is expected to depart in September of this year, as the Somalia National Army (SNA) assumes control. Defence Secretary Aden Duale confirmed that the drawdown, under the guidance of the UN Security Council and the African Union, commenced in June 2022, with the contributing countries withdrawing 2,000 military officers.
“By September, 3,000 troops from these contributing countries will be withdrawn from Somalia. By December 2024, there will be no more ATMIS presence in Somalia,” stated Mr. Duale during a recent interview on Citizen TV.
Kenya has begun establishing Forward Operating Bases along the border in preparation for its eventual exit, which is expected to be completed by 2024. The government of Somalia is currently undertaking operations against Al-Shabaab militants, who continue to pose a threat to the region.
