United Kingdom's counter-terrorism department does not trust the elite units within the Kenyan military to patrol the porous Somalia border.

The latest secret US Diplomatic cables released last week say the UK was instead keen on equipping the Administration Police department with radio communications network to enable its officers undertake the task of patrols along the border.

"UK CT (Counter Terrorism) efforts in Kenya are focused on two key areas: Establishment of a radio communications network for the Administrative Police in the North East and Coast provinces for border security," the cable reads in part.

It reveals the UK had carried out an assessment and established weaknesses within the elite units within the Kenyan military, which it said rendered it unable to undertake proper border patrols.

The cable created in December 2009 says the UK did not agree with assurances from Kenya’s Ministry of Defence that the units charged with the border patrol responsibility were up to the task.

"The Kenyan Ministry of Defense sees this unit as being a fully capable SF (Special Forces) unit. However, the UK assessment is that the unit still falls short of full SF capabilities." The major concerns are that the units within the military can easily be recalled and assigned other tasks, hence exposing the borders to insecurity.

"There is concern that the unit might be diverted from CT to perform other duties," the cable sent from the US Embassy in Nairobi to Washington says and continues to warn, "The unit also has yet to be tested under operational conditions."

As the UK spearheads efforts to equip APs with advanced communication channels to undertake border patrol duties on the porous border with Somalia, the US warned, "Getting multi-agency buy-in within the Kenyan Government is difficult".

"The intelligence service has the primary responsibility for Counter Terrorism but the police services provide critical support, including border control." The cables are some of the latest to be released by WikiLeaks.