The U.S. government said on Monday it will work with Kenya to fight rampant piracy which has rocked the coast of Somalia.
Visiting Gen. William E. Ward, the commanding general of the U.S. Africa Command, discussed the issue of piracy in the Indian Ocean, which Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said threatens Kenya's security and international trade.
Speaking during a courtesy call on Odinga in Nairobi, Odinga asked the U.S. to help Kenya beef up its capacity to monitor the Ocean and the Kenya-Somalia border.
He said piracy is driving up the cost of insurance for goods being shipped into Kenya through the Ocean.
The PM said piracy is also posing a new challenge to Kenya's judicial systems as those arrested are to be tried in Kenya, a development the country is not prepared for.
Ward said the U.S. is aware that piracy in the Indian Ocean had military implications for Kenya. He said the formation of a single U.S. Africa Command had created coherence and the two countries would work more closely now than in the past.
Ward said military support will remain part and parcel of the diplomatic ties between Kenya and the U.S..
The visiting general said Kenyan military has over the years kept off politics when other African states experiences military coups.
Ward congratulated the military for keeping off even during the crisis early this year.
He also commended the country for setting the example for other countries on how to end conflicts by agreeing to share power. He asked the military to strive to be seen as protector and not persecutor of civilians.
Ward acknowledged that Kenya is in "a tough neighborhood" and that the U.S. is concerned and is willing to help by boosting the capacity of the country's military through training and provision of equipment.
Meanwhile, Ward asked Kenya to work seriously on having direct flights from Kenya to America if Kenya is to fully reap the benefits of President-elect Barack Obama's tenure.
Ward told Odinga that direct flights from Nairobi to the U.S. will attract more tourists to the country than is the case today.
Source: Xinhua
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