Kenya Launches Fund to Support Peacekeeping Operations

NAIROBI: Kenya on Thursday launched a national peace support operations fund whose goal is to ensure that troops deployed to regional and global hotspots are adequately resourced and equipped.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the fund, which was approved by the Cabinet in October 2023, will help Kenya fulfill its commitment to peace and stability overseas.

“This fund will address a critical need in our national defense strategy, the need to ensure our troops are properly aligned for the complexities pertaining to the contemporary peace support environment,” Duale said during the peace fund launch in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Duale noted that domestic resource mobilisation will be key to equipping and motivating troops deployed to conflict zones overseas.

He stressed that every peacekeeping mission that Kenya is involved in has multiplier benefits including strengthening border security, economic growth and improved bilateral cooperation.

“With this fund in place, we are ensuring that our defense forces can rapidly deploy with the right equipment and competencies in a changing security environment,” Duale said.

He added that Kenya will enhance cooperation with the international community to identify and neutralise security threats including armed insurgency, terrorism, piracy and trafficking of weapons.

Source – Xinhua