By EDWIN NYARANGI

Cord leader Raila Odinga in Narok during the burial of KDF soldier Elias Kirionki on Wednesday Photo/Raila Twitter

It is high time Kenyans were told exactly what happened in the attack by al Shabaab in Somalia that left dozens of KDF soldiers dead, Raila Odinga has said.

The Cord leader asked the government to issue a comprehensive statement on the attack on a remote African Union base in El Adde on January 15.

Raila said Kenyans should be told the number and names of soldiers who died as they defended the nation and deserve to be honoured and remembered.

“We should be told the names of our gallant sons who perished in Somalia, those who were injured and the plan that the government has to compensate families to ensure they continue living like they did when their breadwinners were alive,” he said.

Al Shabaab militants claimed the soldiers they killed numbered 100 and said they kidnapped others but did not specify how many.

Raila further asked the government to specify its strategy for exiting the war-torn country, whether it will take “two, five, 10, 20 or even 100 years so that Kenyans can prepare themselves psychologically and know how to handle the situation”.

“I was in government when we decided that our military should move into Somalia to protect our border after al Shabaab kept on attacking us but we would like to know what the government’s long-term plan is,” he said.

He spoke at Osupuko village in Trans Mara West subcounty, Narok county on Wednesday, during the burial of Private Elias Kirionki who was killed in the attack.

Kajiado Central MP Memusi Kanchory asked the government to expedite the payment of gratuity to families whose members died in the attack

“The government should ensure it pays each of the dead soldiers salary until the time they were supposed to retire from service to ensure their children continue with their studies and their lives just like when their fathers were alive,’’ he said.

Narok woman representative Soipan Kudate asked politicians to desist from politicising the tragedy and join hands in ensuring terrorism is defeated .

Source: The Star