Aden Duale, the cabinet secretary for defense, was chosen to lead the East Africa Standby Force’s (EASF) Council of Ministers on Thursday, February 16.
The CS assumed the position, according to a release from Kenya’s Ministry of Defence, at a Policy Organs Conference held in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
Former Garissa Township MP Dr. Abraham Belay replaced the outgoing Ethiopian Minister of Defense after his term expired.
As the Director of the EASF Secretariat, Brigadier Paul Njema of the Kenya Defence Forces will help him.
The Policy Organs Conference also unanimously decided that Kenya will preside over the Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Forces and the Assembly of Heads of State and Government (Staff).
Participants in the discussion acknowledged that the security dynamics in the area had evolved over time and urged the leadership to strengthen its capabilities.
The Council suggested that EASF conduct an internal assessment and consider ways to reorganize to better meet the needs of the present security dynamics.
Part of the declaration said, “To this aim, the participants advocated the establishment of the Panel of Elders (PoE) awaiting its regularization.”
Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda are EASF members.
Although not naming the host nation, the ministers present also concurred on the establishment of a medical training facility in one of the EASF members states.
The EASF was founded as a regional structure to provide a capability for the fast deployment of forces to conduct operations for peace support, stability, and enforcement as well as preventive deployment and rapid intervention.
The organization was established to improve the region’s security and peace in Eastern Africa. One of the African Standby Force’s (ASF) five regional multifunctional forces, it consists of military, police, and civilian components.
Following President William Ruto’s victory in the general election in August 2022, Duale was promoted to the position of Defence Cabinet Secretary.
