AMISOM hails Kenyan Police Contingent in Somalia

A contingent of Kenyan Police officers serving in the police component of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) as Individual Police Officers (IPOs) were given a grand send off in Mogadishu after a year’s tour of duty.

Twelve officers were awarded certificates by AMISOM Police Commissioner Brigadier Anand Pillay, who hailed the Kenyan government for supporting the Mission.

“I would like to say thank you to the Kenyan government for making the police officers available to support Somalia in the peace process, to build up the police institution; to provide safety and security to the people of this country through our efforts in creating an efficient police organization here,” AMISOM Police Commissioner Anand Pillay said at the function held in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

A moment of silence was also held in memory of Kenyan soldiers who died in the recent Al-Shabaab attack on an AMISOM camp in El-Adde, South Somalia.

Brigadier Pillay noted that the Kenyan police contingent had helped in furthering the mandate of the Mission and hailed the officers for their discipline, which he said, was reflected in their work and interaction with other contingents.

Despite the contingent working in very difficult circumstances, he said, the police contingent defied odds to deliver as per expectation. Individual Police Officers (IPOs) co-locate with the Somali Police Force (SPF) in several police stations where they train and mentor them, to raise their capacity.

AMISOM has five Police Contributing Countries (PCCs), namely, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda.