Kemya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta said he wont allow any United States drone strikes in Kenya following reports that the United States is seeking permission and authorization from the Kenyan government to carry out US drone strikes in Kenya aimed at terror cells.
President Kenyatta also denied claims that the United States had sought permission from his government to authorise drone strikes within Kenyan territory, saying no such request has ever been made.
“We do not have any such authorisation for the US drone strikes on terror bases in Kenya. We are not at that level of having terror bases in Kenya and therefore the US has not even requested for authority to do so. We would not accept it because we do not feel it is necessary,” he said.
The president’s refutation is the first time the government is officially responding to claims first reported by the New York Times last month.
The Times had indicated that Pentagon was considering expanding the drone war on terror onto Kenyan soil in what could potentially raise human rights issues the superpower is already facing in Somalia.
With at least three drone strikes a month in the Horn country, the US government has also been accused by rights groups of killing civilians not linked to terror merchants. The Pentagon, however, has argued that its strikes are done with precision and last year launched a public portal to accept and investigate complaints of stray strikes.
BY OSMAN HUSSEIN ALI
