President William Ruto steered clear of the planned deployment of police to Haiti for a security mission during his State of the Nation address.
Ruto instead used the opportunity to highlight Kenya’s place in the region’s stability.
Kenya, he said, has a fundamental and clear interest in conducting robust diplomacy in the form of bilateral and multilateral engagements.
“We continue to answer to our historic, moral and strategic responsibilities to deploy our resources in solidarity with our region in general and our immediate neighbourhood in particular,” he added.
“Kenya finds itself continuously summoned by its duty of care to serve as a reliable anchor to our region’s security, peace and stability.”
Interior cabinet secretary Kindiki Kithure told MPs Thursday that the planned deployment of 1,000 officers which is set for January will be done in batches.
Ruto also defended the move to send KDF troops to DRC explaining that the imminent collapse of Goma in the country would have had serious consequences for the wider East African region.
He further hailed the soldiers for combating the insurgence of al shabaab saying they have continued to make the country proud.
At the same time, Ruto said they are doubling enrolment in National Youth Service (NYS) to 40,000 from next year.
He affirmed his position to have 80 per cent of future recruits to all our national security services picked from among the NYS.
“We have made it mandatory that every village, centre, town and city in Kenya is properly represented in the recruitment,” he said.
Ruto was delivering the address in accordance with Article 132 (1) of the Constitution which provides that the President should address a special sitting of Parliament once every year and may address Parliament at any other time.
During the occasion, the President handed to the Speakers of both Houses the three 10th reports on the measures taken and the progress achieved in the realisation of the national values and principles of governance, a report made in fulfilling the national obligations of the republic of Kenya, and on the state of national security.
