Kenya has recalled its MPs to a special session that will renew a Sh9 billion defence pact with the United Kingdom and a raft of other laws a month before the election.
The National Assembly reconvenes Wednesday to consider among other businesses the Ratification of Defence Cooperation Agreement between the Kenyan Government and the governments of the Republic of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
The National Assembly adjourned indefinitely (sine die) on June 9, ahead of the August 9 General Election as the curtains on the 12th Parliament came down.
Kenya and the UK signed the new Defence Co-operation Agreement (DCA) in London in July 2021 on the sidelines of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s three-day official visit to the UK.
The inking of the new agreement followed the lapse of the Sh9 billion Kenya-UK military training pact that was last renewed in 2015. The pact lapsed in October last year.
The new agreement can only take effect after ratification by the UK and Kenya parliaments.
The agreement will anchor the defence priorities between the two nations over the next five years.
The multi-billion shilling defence pact will allow UK troops to continue training at Nanyuki, where the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) is located.
The new DCA, once ratified by the Kenyan Parliament, will allow the two militaries to share expertise, experience and techniques, making both forces more effective.
“Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 29(1) relating to Special Sitting of the House, I have received and acceded to a request from the Leader of the Majority Party to hold Special Sittings of the National Assembly on 13th July 2022,” Justin Muturi, the Speaker said in a notice to MPs.
Under the current agreement, the UK has provided an annual training of over 1, 100 KDF soldiers, with courses in the UK, or with UK military training teams in Kenya.
Nanyuki, where the BATUK is located, offers ideal conditions for harsh environment training for the British troops.
Britain says the training camp which employs 550 locals, has contributed over Sh5.8 billion to the economies of Laikipia, Samburu and Isiolo since 2016. It says the UK under the deal invests Sh1.16 billion annually.
Further training has also been provided through the UK-funded Counter-IED Wing at the Humanitarian Peace Support School (HPSS) in Embakasi.
Since its opening in 2016, over 2,000 military and police from 22 countries have been trained in CIED skills and 40 CIED instructors developed, significantly improving the ability of African Union (AU) forces to operate effectively in high-threat environments, including against Al Shabaab.
The new Kenya-UK military training pact has been delayed by an allegation of gross human rights violations by British troops.
A previous attempt to extend the military engagement almost collapsed over allegations that the UK had sought to shield its troops from prosecution in Kenya for any offences they commit during the training but it was renewed in 2015 after Kenya won its bid to try errant British soldiers locally.
Leader of Majority Amos Kimunya was last year forced to delay the ratification of the agreement after MPs threatened to shoot it down until British soldiers involved in the gruesome murder of Agnes Wanjiru in Nanyuki are brought to justice.
The parliamentary Defence and Foreign Relations Committee threatened to halt the ratification of the memorandum of understanding with the UK until the murder of the 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiku is resolved.
