Ruto: Kenya keen to stabilise Somalia, open embassy

Deputy President William Ruto Friday said Kenya would assist in stabilising individual states of the Federal Government of Somalia as prerequisite to bringing stability to the whole country and the region at large.
Noting that Kenya had no other interest in Somalia other than bringing peace and stability to the country, the Deputy President maintained that Kenya was in Somalia to help rid the country of dangerous elements that have undermined peace in the country and the region at large.said the DP, “We do not want anybody to take advantage of the fragile situation in Somalia and incubate people to destabilize the country and the region.” The DP was speaking when he held talks with the President of South West State of Somalia Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan who paid him a courtesy call at his official residence in Karen.
He appealed to leaders of the Federal States of Somalia to work together, noting that the challenges faced by the country should not be magnified by individual differences among the leaders. Saying that Kenya was ready and willing to participate in the reconstruction of Somalia through the Joint Cooperation Commission (JCC), the DP stated that the JCC would come out with mechanism to source for resources for training the police, teachers and paramedics among other professionals for the Somali government.
Said the DP, “We are willing to share our expertise in infrastructure development, in education and in training the police in our efforts in stabilizing Somalia,” and added, “if the request is made through the JCC a mechanism would be found out how to raise the resources.”
The DP went on to say that Kenya would open an embassy in Mogadishu this year to help in deepening the bilateral relations between the two countries adding that he would be visiting Somalia later in the year to help create the right perception about Somalia.
“As African leaders, we should be in the frontline in helping our brothers and sisters in Somalia,” and added “We can be limited in capacity but not in willingness to assist.”
Mr. Ruto appreciated the challenges faced by the Somali government but expressed confidence that the government of Somalia was working progressively to manage the situation in the best interest of the country and the region.
In reply, President Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan made it clear that the problem in Somalia was from Al Shabab group purporting to be instilling Islamic teachings yet they were pursuing terrorism instead.
Noting that the leadership in Somalia was committed to eliminating the extremists and restoring order in the country, President Adan lauded Kenya’s presence in Somalia and its contribution to the AMISOM troop

He said, “We are happy with Kenya’s assistance in resolving the problems in Somalia, and we are urging that Kenyan troops be allowed to traverse the interior of the country which is still under the control of Al Shabab and help in liberating it.”
President Adan condemned the recent massacre of Kenyans in Mandera saying the people and leadership in Somalia abhorred the killing of innocent people in the name of religion.
He said, “We want Somali nationals living in Kenya to co-exist peacefully with their Kenyans brothers, we do not condone acts of lawlessness as witnessed in Mandera recently and we as the people of Somalia whole heartedly condemn the act.”
President Adan appealed to Kenya to assist in building the capacity of the government of South-west Somalia state noting that Kenya’s assistance would particularly be appreciated in education, in training the police, in the judiciary and in intelligence gathering.
Also present at the function was the MP for Mandera North Mahmoud Mohammed and Kenya’s ambassador to Somalia Josphat Maikara and Senior political adviser in the office of President Adan, Mr. Mohamed Abdinur.
Source: The Standard