COUNTERING MILITARY RECRUITMENT
Articles: Military Recruiting: Personnel Crunch
Kenya: Recruits to Serve in Iraq
Steve Mkawale, All Africa
August 3, 2007
A company contracted by the US Government has been recruitingex-military men and former police officers to serve in war-torn Iraq.
The Standard has established that Sentry Security of East Africa
Limited, a liaison company for Sentry Security of East Africa, USA,
is targeting to take some 800 Kenyans to serve in Iraq.
The first batch of ex-army soldiers and former police officers with
clean service records is expected to leave the country sometime this
month, according to sources privy to the exercise.
The recruitment of the former security personnel, aged between 30 and
50, has been going on across the country for the past two months.
Necessary documents have been made available
A team of 65 ex-military men code-named Gilgil One is scheduled to
meet in Gilgil town on Saturday, the sources said on Thursday.
A senior US Army officer, only identified as Colonel Franks, attended
the first meeting in Nairobi, an indication that the recruitment has
the blessings of both the Kenyan and American governments.
Our sources said the Kenya Government was aware of the exercise and
all necessary documents have been made available.
"An exercise of such magnitude cannot take place without the
knowledge of the President, who is the Commander In Chief of the
Armed Forces," said one of the ex-army officers, who would be among
the first batch leaving for Iraq.
While in Iraq the ex-soldiers would serve as guards at US military
installations in the war torn country and also provide escort services.
Qualified applicants to serve in Iraq for 12 months
On Thursday, SSEA Country Director Mr J Kimuri confirmed that they
were recruiting ex-soldiers to serve as guards and escorts.
Kimuri said they were recruiting ex-military personnel because they
have experience to serve in places like Iraq and Sudan, which are
experiencing war.
He, however, could not reveal when the recruits would leave for the
mission in Iraq dubbed SSEA-Iraq.
Sources privy to the recruitment said the qualified applicants would
serve in Iraq for a period of 12 months.
US Ambassador Michael Ranneberger has, however, said he was not aware
of an exercise involving the recruitment of Kenya ex-soldiers and
that the US Agency Sentry Securities was a private company and is not
in anyway connected with the American Government.
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