Kenya and the United Kingdom have signed a new five-year defense cooperation agreement in a side event during President Kenyatta's three-day official visit to the UK. Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Defense Dr. Monica Juma and her UK counterpart Ben Wallace signed the new agreement in London. This agreement will anchor the defense priorities between the two nations over the next five years. The two countries have a long and proud history of military cooperation, working together on land, sea and air to find shared solutions to our shared challenges, including countering the threat from terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab, the UK government said in a press release. The signing of the cooperation deal comes six months after the two defense secretaries met in Nairobi, agreeing a refreshed Security Compact to deepen wider stability and security cooperation, part of the Kenya-UK strategic partnership. The new DCA, once ratified by the Kenyan and UK Parliaments, will allow our militaries to share expertise, experience and techniques, making both forces more effective. Speaking at the signing event, the UK's Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, said: "It was great to meet Dr. Monica Juma again today. We held very fruitful discussions and agreed on a range of measures to keep both of our countries safer." "Kenya has long been our defense partner of choice in East Africa and, in a more uncertain world, we will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as we tackle the threats of tomorrow." Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Defense Dr. Monica Juma said: "Today, Ben Wallace and I reaffirmed our commitment to continue deepening the defense cooperation between our two nations. "The framework underpinning this strategic relationship is the defense cooperation agreement which has become an invaluable tool for enhancing the competencies of our defense forces. Overall our cooperation continues to significantly improve the ability of our forces to operate effectively in high-threat environments." The current agreement has had many successes over the past five years of military cooperation. Under the agreement, the UK has provided an annual training of over 1100 KDF soldiers, with courses in the UK, or with UK military training teams in Kenya. 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. — SG
