President Uhuru Kenyatta has opened a strategic naval base to secure Kenya’s territorial waters and protect the Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport Corridor (Lapsset) project.
The Manda Bay Forward Operations Base (FOB), which played a key role in the capture of Kismayu by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in September 2012, was yesterday upgraded to a full naval base.
The FOB was crucial in planning during Operation Linda Nchi, a cross-border offensive against the Al-Shabaab who had been making regular trips into Kenyan territory and causing chaos.
While presenting the presidential and regimental colours, President Kenyatta said his government is determined to protect Kenya’s territory, explaining that the base will play a key role in achieving that.
Presidential colours are the greatest honour bestowed upon a military unit in recognition of its exceptional service to the nation during peace and war time, while regimental colours is a flag bearing the symbol associated with the unit, carried as a mark of identification.
“The purpose of the base was to provide logistics support to KDF units stationed in northern Kenya and other security agencies in the country. By elevating this FOB into a base, we hope to secure more of our maritime waters,” said the President.
The Head of State said the base is strategically located and has since 2010 been used as a launch-pad for major operations to counter terrorism and deter international crime.
The President also toured a monument and the site at the base where terrorists attacked in January last year, resulting in the deaths of three Americans and an undisclosed number of Kenyan soldiers.