By Ebi Kesiena
The war against terror groups in the country got a major boost on Friday, after a first-ever Kenyan Marine Commando Unit successfully completed its basic training.
A pass-out parade took place at Mtongwe Naval Base in Mombasa.
British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriot said in a statement on Friday that the UK, Kenya and the US stands shoulder to shoulder in the shared endeavour of countering Al Shabaab.
“This history-making partnership – the creation of the first-ever Marine Commando Unit – is a clear signal of our three countries’ enduring commitment to the Kenyan Military and to regional security,” she said.
The UK said the joint endeavour to create a unit is an example of the UK and Kenya’s enduring commitment to building a strong, capable and adaptable Kenyan Military that is already an anchor of regional stability and security.
The UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership is an ambitious five-year agreement delivering mutual benefits for the UK and Kenya, and keeping our people safe; it is underpinned by the Defence Cooperation Agreement that provides the framework for this training programme.
The US Military are also an integral part of the creation of the unit by ensuring this specialist and formidable force is equipped to the highest standard.
The unit will be 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 new unit was trained by 10 British Marines from 40 Commando Royal Marines.
The training which included physical fitness and amphibious assaults took over twelve weeks with potential recruits having been selected from the Kenyan Military.
The UK-funded obstacle course that was constructed at Mtongwe Naval Base is a nearly identical replica of the course used at the Royal Marine Commando training base in Lympstone, UK.
This first cohort of Marines has kick-started a self-sustaining training cycle, whereby the Kenyan Navy will eventually be able to train their own Marine Commandos.
