Somalia National Armed Forces Commander, Brigadier General Odowaa Yusuf Rageh, made a series of visits to Kenyan Defence Forces’ institutions of excellence on the second day of his official visit to Kenya. The Commander visited the Kenya Military Academy (KMA) in Nakuru, the Humanitarian Peace Support Training Centre (HPSS), and the Defence Forces Technical Training College (DEFTEC) in Nairobi.
The Commander and his delegation received elaborate briefs on each institution’s respective mandates and an extensive tour of their training facilities and programs, ranging from foundational to advanced military training and education. The KDF Service Personnel presented practical demonstrations and shared experiences with the visiting commander in each of the institutions, presenting benchmarking opportunities for future exchange programs between the two militaries.
Brigadier General Odowaa expressed gratitude for the warm reception and insightful tour of the KDF, commending the institutions he visited as ideal model training centers that meet the demands of trainees to face contemporary security threats.
The visit is significant as it comes at a time when the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is gradually drawing down troops serving in Somalia, and there is a need to reconfigure and train the Somalia Security Forces to take over the security mandate and responsibility from ATMIS forces. Brigadier General Odowaa’s visit opens a platform for future collaboration and deeper defense cooperation between Kenya and Somalia.
