Lt General (rtd) Daniel Opande, the first commander of UN's Mission (UNAMSIL) in Liberia. Retired Kenyan General Opande set t...
Kenya contributed outstanding soldiers to help in safeguarding stability. We invite Opande to come to Namibia to receive the award on behalf of all Kenyans.The announcement came as a surprise to the Kenyan retired general who reminisced the times he spent in Namibia and the role that he played as the Deputy Force Commander while under the United Nationals Transition Assistance Group. “When the president mentioned my name, I felt honoured and humbled. While in Namibia, I did my job as a soldier and I did not expect to be rewarded later,” said Opande when The Standard team met him at his home in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. Where he was born, it did not cross his mind that he will one day be a celebrated man across the world. Initially, he wanted to become an engineer. His family detested the disciplined the military due to the disappearance of one of his uncles who once served in the Second World War. When he completed his secondary school education, his father fell ill and the only way was to look for a quick job to fed for the family it was only the Army.
Months before Kenya gained its independence in 1963, he enlisted as a military cadet together with other officers, they celebrated the country’s independence while undergoing training in United Kingdom. He later rose through the ranks to become a general. According to the general, his squad was the second African team to be sent for peace keeping mission after the initial one in 1960s. “The country fought gallantly for independence and lost many people. We were sent there to find a better way of ending the war in 1989 to 1990,” he said. Opande noted that his team faced numerous challenges but did its best to mediate between the two warring groups. “A section of troops from South African Defense Forces (SADF) at one point had agreed to implement the peace process but there were others who were opposed to the plans. There is one point when they attacked our Kenyan base in the area and our officers were forced to fire shots at the guards who later retreated in the darkness,” he said.
My heart sunk because it was the same mission I was doing in Africa that had also taken place in our own country. I assisted them get food and shelter,” he noted. It is from such incident that they formed Concerned Citizens for Peace Group meant to encourage for dialogue on pertinent issues. The 75-year-old man boasts of numerous souvenirs and military awards given by various countries while serving in the United Nations. “I was celebrated at the hall of fame at the National Defense University (NDU) in United States, awarded presidential medal by Liberia and prestigious awards by the Kenyan government,” he summed up.
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