UK and Kenya reaffirm security cooperation

On Monday 25 January, UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace landed in Kenya to begin his short two-day stay in the country. On the same Monday, Wallace met with the Kenyan Minister of Home Affairs and National Government Coordination, Fred Matiang'I, to reinforce the security agreements between the two countries.

A press conference was held in Nairobi in which both officials stressed the importance of mutual collaboration and also to outline the main concerns that have led to this agreement. "Britain and Kenya share the same values and the same threats," Wallace said.

Matiang'I said he had discussed with Wallace certain "priority areas" but also how to jointly address "peace-building in the region, counter-terrorism and climate change and how that affects security within our country and the East African region". For his part, the Englishman referred to the terrorist threat in Kenya, which comes from al-Shabaab from neighbouring Somalia. "It is important that friends and allies support you in the task ahead. It is important that when we face the common threat of al-Shabaab, we work together to defeat it both here in Kenya and also in the United Kingdom," Wallace added.

Al-Shabaab is an Islamist organisation classified as a terrorist group present in the rural areas of southern Somalia. According to the Spanish Foreign Ministry, it currently has around 5,000 troops and maintains a strong operational presence both inside and outside Somalia. Linked to Al-Qaeda, they were formed as a split from the Islamic Courts Union, which occupied a large part of Somali territory at the beginning of the century, until Ethiopia intervened in 2006 and the following year saw the establishment of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), authorised by the United Nations Security Council.

Kenya has suffered several attacks by al-Shabaab, mainly along the border with Somalia. In 2019, the deaths of several Kenyan policemen or, the following year, of teachers in the village of Kamuthe, in Kenyan territory close to the border with Somalia, were attributed to the terrorist group. 

However, the British Defence Secretary does not only focus British interests on fighting al-Shabaab terrorism in the region. According to The Telegraph, he was also concerned about the growing influence of Russia and China in Africa. In statements to The Telegragh, Wallace confirmed the telephone call to his new US counterpart, Loyd Austin, so that the two powers could jointly confront not only terrorism in the region, but also Russian and Chinese influence.

In any case, this reaffirms the cooperation between London and Nairobi, which comes shortly after Kenya became a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in early January.