Kenya Declares War on al-Shabaab: Government Vows to Hunt Down Militia
Aden Duale, the defense cabinet secretary, has declared war on the al-Shabaab militia, stating that the government of Kenya will use its forces to hunt them down.
Speaking at Garissa University’s fourth commencement ceremony on Thursday, Duale recounted an al-Shabaab attack on the institution on April 2, 2015.
147 students perished as a result of the terror, which led to the institution’s temporary closure.
“al-Shabaab, I am speaking to you from Garissa University during our commencement ceremony; I said it in Masalani, and I’ll repeat it here; we are coming for you; we will use our land forces, our navy, our air force, and our special forces to hunt you down in Kenya and Eastern Somalia,” Duale said.
The minister applauded the university’s progress eight years after the attack, as it now accepts a large number of students, including those pursuing PhDs.
“And I want al-Shabaab to listen, the university you wanted to shut down, the university you wanted to divide the people of Kenya along ethnic and religious lies, the university where you slaughtered our children, is today not only the best university in the country but has one of the best faculties, the Institute for Peace and Security Studies,” the CS proclaimed.
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Duale praised the late president Mwai Kibaki for establishing the university despite the glaring spotlight of security incidents reported in Northern Kenya at the time.
“I’d like to thank great individuals, including the late Mwai Kibaki.” “President Kibaki was a very unique leader, and he listened to me for about twenty minutes before announcing that a university will be built in Garissa,” he said.
Moreover, he assured the institution that the Defense Ministry will drill boreholes to ensure the institution has sufficient water.
Duale urged the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Ezekiel Machogu, to mobilize the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) to allocate at least 3,000 students to the institution to trigger the release of additional government funds.
He added that the institution’s dormitories can now accommodate more than 3,000 students.
Tuesday, Duale announced that the government will modernize the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and police artillery to end al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya and neighboring Somalia.
In the last two weeks, at least 22 police officers have been killed in Garissa and Lamu counties, while a multi-agency team arrested a suspected Al Shabaab terrorist on the Garissa-Dadaab road on Thursday.
Kenya Declares War on al-Shabaab: Government Vows to Hunt Down Militia
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