Friday, September 26, 2014
A secure and stable Somalia will boost Kenya’s prosperity, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said. Speaking at a meeting chaired by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, Uhuru said Kenya will support the government of Somalia until the whole country is secure.
“As we degrade and defeat al Shabaab, progress can only be anchored on political and institutional stability,” he said. The Kenya Defence Forces, now part of Amisom, have liberated Southern Somalia from the grip of al Shabaab, making most of the country peaceful.
Uhuru said securing Somalia will revitalise the tourism sector in Kenya, which has been slowed down by terrorism. He said a secure Somalia will lead to better environmental conservation since this will improve coordination against poaching.
The President said a stable Somalia will bring more business for Kenya and it was in Kenya’s interest to stay the course until normalcy resumes.
The President called on the international community to support the voluntary repatriation of refugees from Kenya to Somalia. The agreement to transfer refugees has been signed between Kenya, Somalia and UNHCR.
President Kenyatta urged Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud to make the repatriation process a priority. He said more than half a million Somali refugees in Kenya are a human resource required in rebuilding their country.
Uhuru called on international organisations that manage refugee affairs to ensure that humanitarian camps are not used for criminal activities. He said investigations have revealed several terror activities in Kenya have been planned and co-ordinated within refugee camps.
“Humanitarian space should not be used for criminal activities because such oversights will come back to haunt us,” the President said.
The meeting was also addressed by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and the chairperson of the AU Commission Nkosazana Zuma.