Opposition leaders under NASA coalition will withdraw Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) from Somalia should they succeed in forming the next government after August 8 polls.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka while speaking on behalf of the other NASA principals in Lamu maintained that Kenya will remain under imminent threat from the militia group until KDF leaves Somalia.
He said the country has not gained anything from deploying its soldiers to Somali since 2008.
He said all the country has on record is loss the lives of soldiers and leaving their families with a lot of anguish.
“What’s our benefit as a country? Many of our soldiers are losing their lives and many are missing,” he said.
“Their families are in anguish and all for what?” questioned the Wiper Party boss.
He faulted Jubilee administration for its hard-line position by refusing to recall the soldiers back to the country.
Kalonzo said retired President Mwai Kibaki deployed the soldiers to Somali on a temporary basis but Jubilee has made it a permanent deployment.
He also said that Kenya has reached a point where it needs the soldiers back home to handle internal issues.
The debate about withdrawal of KDF from Somalia has been a stormy debate across the political divide.
While a section of MPs from ruling Jubilee support KDF stay in Somalia, their colleagues have vehemently opposed the move.
Kenya has in the recent past been targeted by al-shabaab since KDF was deployed.
Most memorable is the infamous Westgate terror attack in 2013, Mpeketoni attack in Lamu among others in Mandera County where scores of innocent citizens lost their lives.