The Kenyan government has called on the UN to reimburse it 98 million U.S. dollars for peacekeeping efforts in Somalia where its soldiers launched cross border incursion in October 2011.
The Cabinet which met in Nairobi late on Thursday said the UN had agreed to pay the East African nation 132 million dollars but has only paid 28.7 million dollars being the expenses incurred during the Kenya Defense Forces (KEF) peacekeeping mission in the Horn of Africa nation.
Kenya has been involved in efforts to bring stability and peace to Somalia, its northern neighbor, with Kenyan troops serving in the Africa Union Mission Peacekeeping Mission (AMISOM), along with government and allied forces,to liberate large parts of Somalia from the control of Al-Shabaab militants, as well as progress on its political front.
Kenyan officials say they have been encouraged by recent political developments in Somalia, particularly the selection of a new President, Prime Minister and Parliament and adoption of a new Constitution.
The Cabinet said the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) should urgently convene a meeting to plan the reconstruction of Somalia and the tackling of the humanitarian challenges facing Somalia
Kenya has also put security in key towns on a high alert following Kenya's military operations in Somalia which sparked threats from the Al-Shabaab group that it will retaliate deep in Kenya.
Al-Shabaab militants have vowed to attack Nairobi after the east African nation, which hosted protracted negotiations that culminated in the signing of the federal charter for Somalia in 2005, invaded Somalia to flush out the insurgents it blamed for kidnappings of tourists.