by Chrispinus Omar
NAIROBI, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Visiting British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Friday pledged to bolster military and wildlife cooperation with Kenya.
Speaking in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, on the second day of his Kenya visit, Johnson pledged support to the Kenyan operation under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which has been battling the Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia.
He applauded the Kenyan troops for their excellent contribution to the efforts to pacify Somalia.
Johnson has held talks with his Kenyan counterpart Amina Mohammed on a range of issues including trade, military cooperation and consular affairs.
The talks came shortly after a joint military exercise between the British troops and the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) at the Archers Post, 185 miles northeast of Nairobi.
"The Kenyan military is doing vital work in Somalia. The UK and the Kenya joint military exercise has also been a vital part of this interesting partnership. We want to continue this partnership with Kenya," Johnson told reporters during a joint news conference with the Kenyan foreign minister.
Mohammed said Kenya and Britain are committed to continuing collaboration in defence and security-related issues, and this would enhance security in Kenya and the region.
Johnson on Friday also pledged to advance the wildlife conservation agenda in Kenya, saying the British agencies were already cooperating with the Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) to conserve elephants and to increase the number of British tourists to Kenya.
Several British charities such as the David Sheldrick Trust have been involved in elephant conservation in Kenya.
Johnson earlier paid a visit to British nationals living in Laikipia, an agriculturally productive region that has been at the center of a mass raid by cattle herders escaping drought.
The latest incident involved the killing of a British rancher Tristan Voorspuy, who was shot dead while inspecting farm damage following a raid by the armed pastoralists.
The Kenyan government has announced plans to send the military to help restore stability in Laikipia.
Johnson said he was happy the Kenyan government agreed to take what he called tough measures to deal with the crisis in Laikipia, where British nationals were affected.
