American military spends Sh527m on KDF special forces training

The US military splurged Sh572 million last year on training elite representatives of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in locations around the United States, a new report has revealed, highlighting efforts by the two nations to combat terrorism.

The ‘Foreign Military Training Report,’ seen by the Business Daily, shows elite personnel from the KDF benefited from specialised training in various fields spanning intelligence, warfare and leadership under the tutelage of the US military.

The training occurred in various army bases and elite military colleges in the US.

Kenyan military teams visited various top military schools in the US for the training, according to an unclassified new report by the Pentagon filed with the US Congress. Some training was also conducted locally, the report shows.

The elite colleges in the US where the training occurred include the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy in Washington, the US Army War College in Pennsylvania, and the US Army Field Artillery School in Lawton.

The training boost comes at a time Kenya is enhancing its military prowess in the face of increased terror threats from the Somalia-based Al Shabaab militants.

In June, US President Joe Biden announced the deployment of American special troops to Kenya to help in counter-terrorism efforts. The US considers Kenya a “strategic” partner in the fight against terrorism.

Al-Shabaab has been attacking Somali government and military targets but occasionally launches high-profile assaults in neighbouring states, including Kenya.

The terrorists target mostly northeastern Kenya and parts of the Coast.

have particularly been targeted by the terrorists, but there have previously been high-profile attacks in Nairobi, including at Westgate Mall in 2013 and the DusitD2 Complex in 2019.

Al-Shabaab has been attacking Somali government and military targets but occasionally launches high-profile assaults in neighbouring states, including Kenya.

Former US President Donald Trump last December ordered the withdrawal of an estimated 700 American troops from Somalia by January 15, with the Pentagon saying at the time they would be repositioned to other parts of East Africa -- likely Kenya and Djibouti -- and continue to carry out raids against the militia and a smaller cluster of Islamic State fighters from bases in neighbouring countries.

The new Biden administration, which has publicly maintained it considers Kenya a "strategic" partner in the fight against terrorism, has embarked on the reversal of many policies that had been rolled out by Mr Trump.