
Kenya’s Defence CS Gazettes Deployment Of KDF In All 47 Counties
Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has approved the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to all 47 counties.
The notice stated that military officers would assist the police in restoring order following the Finance Bill protests.
The new gazette notice was published in response to Justice Lawrence Mugambi’s directives issued on Thursday.
Regarding the operation’s timeline, the CS stated that it would end once normalcy was restored throughout the country.
The KDF’s mandate will include safeguarding critical installations across the country.
“Based on the prevailing threats to national security planned and orchestrated through various platforms in the cyberspace, the deployment will cover the Forty-Seven Counties within the Republic of Kenya where critical installations and infrastructure are located in order to assist the National Police Service preserve life, preserve the internal security of the State, protect property as well as maintain law and order.
“The terms of engagement for the deployment shall be the constitutional standards enshrined in the Bill of Rights, Articles 238 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, statutory requirements and principles provided at sections 3, 8 (2), 34 (1), 34 (3) and 35 of the Kenya Defence Forces Act,” read the notice in part.
— Hon. Aden Duale, EGH (@HonAdenDuale) June 28, 2024
The initial gazettement on KDF deployment was completed on Tuesday, June 25, and approved by Parliament on Wednesday, June 26.
Notably, the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) challenged the move, claiming it was unconstitutional.
Nonetheless, the court decided that the deployment was necessary due to the breach at the Parliament Buildings.
The court directed the CS to publish the deployment guidelines within two days.
Duale did not specify where the officers would be stationed or when they would be deployed, as required by the Kenya Defence Forces Act, in the initial gazette.
“The court retains residual powers of oversight over the military deployment on the observance of human rights and this file shall remain open during the course of this Petition to receive and deal with any complaints of violation for as long as the military intervention lasts,” read the judgement in part.
Kenya’s Defence CS Gazettes Deployment Of KDF In All 47 Counties