Kenya’s
Chief of Defense Forces, General Robert Kibochi, is in a week-long visit to
India. He is on special invitation by the Ministry of Defense. India is the
first country where the CDF Kenya is visiting outside of Africa, after assuming
the position of CDF in May this year.
He is scheduled to meet Indian Defense Minister, National Security Adviser and
the Service Chiefs and senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs
in New Delhi.
The General Officer will also be visiting
Agra, Mhow and Bengaluru during his visit. This is not the first time when the
CDF is visiting India as he did his Signal Officers Degree Telecommunications
Engineering Course in India at the Military College of Telecommunications
Engineering Mhow from 1984-1987, as a young officer. Kibochi’s visit comes at a
time when the bilateral relationship between India and Kenya is poised for
deeper engagement. Post visit of PM Narendra Modi to Kenya in 2016 and a
reciprocal visit by HE President, Kenyatta, in 2017, the relationship grew up.
Ongoing areas of defense cooperation
include Capacity & Capability building, Counter Terrorism, UN Peace Keeping
Operations, Medical health care and Cyber security. This visit of the CDF is
supposed to make the bilateral ties between the two countries and the two Armed
Forces stronger. As per the schedule the General Officer, who arrive here on
November 2, will depart on November 7, 2020.