Kenyan Soldiers in Somalia have received pay

By OLIVER MATHENGE

The Kenyan soldiers fighting al Shabaab in Somalia have received their pay and allowances, the Presidency announced yesterday.

State House Spokesman Manoah Esipisu said an agreement was signed between Amisom and the European Union, under which payments were made to soldiers serving in Somalia.

“The President warmly welcomes the agreement. It supports the African Union’s peace and security agenda. It keeps Kenya, Somalia and the region safe,” he said.

Esipisu spoke during his weekly briefing. He said President Uhuru Kenyatta is yet to receive the nomination of Justice David Maraga as Chief Justice. “When he receives it, he will apply his mind and do what he needs to do within the time frame set by the law,” Esipisu said.

He said State House will host a Youth Summit on October 3 and this will be followed by one on governance and accountability on October 17. “I need not tell you how important the youth agenda remains. There is not a single part of our national development effort that is not tied in some way to our work with the youth,” Esipisu said.

“We shall meet to consider carefully where we are, what the consequences of the government’s youth policies, empowerment funds are, and what we can do to hasten the pace of growth, and to spread entrepreneurship among the young.”

He said the Presidency has seen a surge in foreign investment in Kenya in the recent past. Esipisu said the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which offers support to US companies as they invest abroad, opened an office in Kenya.

“When President Barack Obama was here, he mentioned that OPIC would be helping to fund Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women Programme, which brings capital to female entrepreneurs around the world,” he said.

“We are very pleased to welcome them to their new home in Kenya, and we are sure this is the beginning of an even closer engagement.”

State House also confirmed that there is a US investor interest in the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway. “Partners include Bechtel Corp, the United States’ largest construction and civil engineering firm, which will be supported in this endeavour by the United States’ Import-Export Bank and OPIC,” Esipisu said.

“We are hopeful these discussions will bear fruit and Kenya will soon enjoy the new infrastructure on the Nairobi-Mombasa route. This is a show of continued massive international investor confidence in our economy and our country.”