- The United States has provided the Kenyan Marine Commando Unit with equipment.
- The UK has been responsible for training them to the highest standards.
For the longest, the UK Royal Marines have been involved in the war on crime and in particular terrorism.
They have been offering various types of help including training and facilitation.
It is part of the reason King Charles and Queen Camilla are scheduled to visit Mtongwe Naval Base nestled in the Likoni area in the South of Mombasa Island across the Likoni Ferry Channel.
They will be in Mombasa on Thursday and Friday this week where security has been enhanced ahead of their arrival.
According to the Royal Website, The King will visit the naval base as Captain General of the Royal Marines.
“There, Their Majesties will witness Kenyan Marines, trained by the Royal Marines, demonstrating a covert beach landing, showing defense collaboration in action,” the website states.
They will meet the first-ever Kenyan Marine Commando Unit (KMCU) who were trained by 10 British Marines from 40 Commando Royal Marines for over 12 weeks as part of a training programme including physical fitness and amphibious assaults.
The KMCU is an elite fighting force with the ability to conduct specialised amphibious operations to weaken and disrupt threats to Kenya and take the fight to al-Shabaab by land and by sea.
The participants drawn from the Kenya Navy Special Operations Squadron (SOS) made up of the Diving Unit, Special Boat Unit and Marines (ranger regiment) were trained by the Royal Marines in an exercise geared towards producing an elite first–of–its–kind Marines Commandos Unit, which is lean, competent and capable, specialized in neutralizing threats at sea as well as on land.
The group is now training and equipping more personnel in the military for mission readiness.
A ten-strong specialist training team from Taunton-based 40 Commando put the KMCU – whose motto is ‘Quell the Storm’ – through 12 weeks of intensive training, like that faced by recruits at the Commando Training Centre in Devon.
The 26 marines officially completed their basic training and will go on to counter terrorist threats and protect Kenya’s peace and prosperity.
This first cohort has kick-started a self-sustaining training cycle, whereby the Kenyan Navy will eventually be able to train their own Marine Commandos.
The training ended with a final exercise that saw the Marines carry out reconnaissance on an ‘enemy target’ after an amphibious landing, feeding information to commanders for an attack.
Their success during this mission proved they are now ready for front-line operations.
The United States has provided the Kenyan Marine Commando Unit with equipment, while the UK has been responsible for training them to the highest standards.
The creation of this capability is a significant milestone that underscores the strong and historic defense relationship between Kenya and the UK.
It demonstrates the UK’s commitment to supporting Kenya as an anchor of regional stability.
Royal Marines designed a 500m assault course at Mtongwe Navy Base in Mombasa and shared their vast knowledge and experience, passing on valuable skills.
The training, which ended in May this year is not just about combat ability and physical prowess, though, the Kenyans have also been taught about the commando mindset, values, ethos and language, which makes Royal Marines distinct from other forces.
Captain Toby Robinson, in charge of the 40 Commando training team in Kenya, said: “It’s been a fantastic experience working alongside our Kenyan partners and a privilege to be involved in this historical moment, with the establishment of their Marine Force.
Kenya continues to experience a terror-related threat, especially from Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants.
They have been crossing the main Kenya-Somalia border where they attack security agencies and civilians.
This has forced Kenya to postpone plans to reopen the main border, which was closed in 2011.
Kenyan troops are in Somalia to pursue and suppress the activities of the terror group.
Somalia has not had a stable government after the fall of Siad Barre in 1991.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
Al-Shabaab terrorists have been attacking places in the region, especially in Mandera and Garissa counties after breaching security zones, which left dozens of civilians and security officials dead and wounded.
The terrorists have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies.