By, Daniel Sugarman
1 min read
ByDaniel Sugarman, Daniel Sugarman
Kenya is to receive assistance from Israel in the creation of a 440 mile wall, to be built on its border with Somalia.
The Kenyan government hopes that a more secure border wall will help prevent Somalian terrorists from infiltrating the country. A number of attacks on Kenyan soil in recent years, including the siege of the Israeli-owned Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi, were carried out by terrorists who entered the country from Somalia.
The two countries also agreed to improve their level of intelligence collaboration. Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Kenyan newspaper The Nation: “If you know in advance that an attack is going to happen and can pre-empt it, it saves lives.”
After meeting with Mr Netanyahu, Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta said: “Kenya and Israel, just like other nations of the world, are facing the challenges of terrorism and today was a great opportunity to discuss ways of dealing with the issues.”
Mr Netanyahu is currently on a Sub-Saharan Africa tour, the first by an Israeli head-of-state in almost three decades. His trip began on Monday, where he attended the 40th anniversary commemoration of the Entebbe raid, in which his elder brother Yoni was the sole Israeli casualty. After the visit to Kenya, the Israeli Prime Minister flew to Rwanda, and is due to end his tour of the region in Ethiopia.
Mr Netanyahu apologised to the people of Nairobi for the gridlock that his visit had caused, saying: “I apologize to the people of Kenya who have to wait, to the people of Nairobi who have to wait in line. May I tell you that we too have waited decades for this visit, we’re glad to be here!”
According to Kuwaiti newspaper al-Jarida, however, Kenyan authorities made a last-minute adjustment to the convoy route after intelligence uncovered a plan to attack the Israeli convoy along the original route.
