Newly Deployed Police Officers From Kenya Fully Induct Into AMISOM

A group of ten Kenyan police officers newly deployed in Somalia as Individual Police Officers (IPOs) has completed a one-week induction course aimed at educating them on the mandate of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

The officers have been undertaking the induction course in Mogadishu since Monday last week, to orient them with the Mission’s objectives.

Speaking at the end of the course, on Sunday, AMISOM Police Chief of Staff, Rex Dundun, who represented the AMISOM Police Commissioner, urged the officers to prepare themselves for the tasks ahead, especially for the forthcoming elections.

“You are coming in at a time when the police component is actually scaling down due to rotations and at the same time, we are preparing for the forthcoming elections which make the tasks before you herculean. I am sure that you will be able to cope, with the training that you have got and the prospect we have seen in you,” Mr. Dundun said.

AMISOM Police Coordinator of Training, Francis Aryee, echoed Dundun’s sentiments. He emphasized the importance of the induction training, saying it would prepare them for the major tasks relating to law and order and the implementation of the Concept of Operations.

“Today we have completed giving you all the necessary information and orientation that will help you navigate your way in the Mission. As you may have learnt from the various topics you were taken through, Somalia has a very precarious security situation,” Mr. Aryee observed.

Speaking at the same function, Superintendent of Police (SP) Rachael Munge Kironji, the new Kenyan Contingent Commander, said the officers were ready to help AMISOM achieve its mandate.

“We feel capacitated to undertake the tasks ahead of us. As we embark on our AMISOM duties we will continuously remind ourselves of the mandate of AMISOM and we promise to work towards its achievement.”

Individual Police Officers are tasked with mentoring the Somali Police Force (SPF), part of the wider AMISOM police component mandate, to build the capacity of the SPF and transform it into a credible and effective institution that adheres to international policing standards.