The United Nations Mission in South Sudan says it has replaced 500 Kenyan troops who have been withdrawn from various bases after the sacking of the force commander.

The UN Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon sacked Kenyan General Johnson Ondieki after an internal investigation found that the mission failed in July to protect civilians in Juba.

In reaction, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said an overall failure of the mission could not be blamed on a single Kenyan national and ordered for the withdrawal of their roughly 1,000 soldiers serving under the mission.

UNMISS says the process of replacement is gradual and would continue until all the KDF (Kenya Defense Force) soldiers are withdrawn.

“The mission is…using its current capabilities…to replace the Kenyan troop as they withdraw from those areas,” Shantal Persuad, the mission spokesperson explained to Eye Radio.

“So in the case of Wau, as I said 400 or so, we’ve used a force battalion from Juba to replace that gap and we’ve replaced that with about 450-480 troops.”

Ms Persuad said no additional force will be brought to the mission, and even countries with troops can not to do so, but only change them by bringing others.

She also said the number UN troops will be determined once the issue of the regional protection force is addressed.