Defence Cabinet Secretary Hon Soipan Tuya on 12th August 2025 appeared before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations chaired by Belgut MP Hon Nelson Koech at Bunge Towers in Nairobi.
The session, also attended by Defence Principal Secretary Dr Patrick Mariru, was convened to enable the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to respond to several questions raised by Members of Parliament including concerns by Turkana North MP Hon Ekwom Nabuin on the regrettable killing of Kenyan fishermen on Lake Turkana in February this year by armed assailants in Todonyang along the Kenya–Ethiopia border.
In her response, the Cabinet Secretary said Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) had intensified patrols and troops presence along the restive border in line with its constitutional mandate of safeguarding Kenya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
She added that MOD would establish military outposts including forward operating bases (FOBs) in the area as part of the ongoing KDF modernization programme.
The Cabinet Secretary said the MOD’s recent successful transition from the exchequer-funded lunch programme for KDF service members in peace-time locations to the Pay-As-You-Eat (PAYE) model was in line with international military best practices.
Hon Tuya noted that the policy shift, unveiled in the year 2000 with the introduction of the ration cash allowance, was necessitated by the need to streamline budgetary allocations and enhance efficiency in the utilization of public funds.
Also present were Chief of Operations Brig Stephen Huria, Chief of Legal Services Brig Yvonne Kerubo and Director of Administration Mr Benjamin Odegi among other senior Government and military officials.
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