The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) (Swahili: Majeshi ya Ulinzi ya Kenya, stylized as “KENYA ARMED FORCES” capitalized on its coat of arms) are the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya. They are comprised of the Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air Force. The current KDF was established and its composition stipulated in Article 241 of the 2010 Constitution of Kenya; it is governed by the KDF Act of 2012. Its main mission is the defense and protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kenya. Recruitment to the KDF is conducted annually. The President of Kenya serves as the commander-in-chief of the KDF, and the Chief of Defence Forces is the highest-ranking military officer and the principal military adviser to the President of Kenya.
Corruption Allegations
The Defence Forces, like many Kenyan government institutions, have been tainted by corruption. Because the military has traditionally been cloaked under the blanket of “state security,” the corruption has been less visible to the public and thus less subject to public scrutiny. However, in 2010, credible claims of corruption were made regarding recruitment and the procurement of Armoured Personnel Carriers. The decisions on the Northrop F-5 “Tiger” aircraft procurement have also been publicly questioned. In 2015, credible allegations were made that the KDF was involved in sugar smuggling from southern Somalia into Kenya to avoid import dues.
Operational Engagements
The KDF is regularly deployed in peacekeeping and warfighting missions, including the counter-insurgency fight against Al-Shabaab in Somalia since 2011.
History
The United Kingdom raised and maintained forces in Kenya Colony, eventually becoming the King’s African Rifles (KAR). The KAR fought during the two World Wars and in the Mau Mau Uprising. On the other side of the Mau Mau Uprising was the first Kenyan force raised by Africans themselves, the Kenya Land and Freedom Army.
Jomo Kenyatta Administration
Kenya gained independence on the midnight of 12 December 1963, a significant milestone. Upon independence, the Kenyan Parliament created the Kenya Military Forces (KMF) through the KMF Act 1963. Consequently, 3 KAR, 5 KAR, and 11 KAR were re-designated as 3 Kenya Rifles, 5 Kenya Rifles, and 11 Kenya Rifles, respectively. The new independence government retained senior British military officers as advisers and trainers for the new Kenyan army. They stayed on, administering the former KAR units as they developed more Kenyan characteristics. The Kenya Regiment, composed of British settlers, was disbanded.
Between 1963 and 1967, Kenya fought the Shifta War against Somali residents seeking union with their kin in the Somali Republic to the northeast. In late 1963, 5th Kenya Rifles was sent to the North Eastern Province in response to the growing number of Shifta ambushes. Additional police and the General Service Unit were also dispatched. The army and police forcibly resettled the population into “new villages” and conducted sweeps to destroy the Shifta.
On the evening of 24 January 1964, the failure of the Kenyan Prime Minister to appear on television, where 11th Kenya Rifles junior soldiers had been expecting a televised speech and hoping for a pay rise announcement, caused the men to mutiny. Courts-martial were held for 43 soldiers following the mutiny. The 11th Kenya Rifles was disbanded, and a new battalion, 1st Kenya Rifles, was created from soldiers cleared of participation in the mutiny.
Discussions in March 1964 between Kenya and Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations Duncan Sandys on defense led to a formal agreement signed on 3 June 1964. This agreement facilitated British assistance in training and equipping the Kenyan military, including the creation of a new Kenya Air Force and Navy.
Moi Administration
Under President Moi, the Kenyan armed forces were subject to allegations of tribal favoritism in key appointments, particularly favoring the Kalenjin ethnic group. From the 1990s, the Kenya Army became involved in United Nations peacekeeping operations, which provided experience and income for the army and its soldiers. Kenya’s first peacekeeping deployment was to the United Nations Iran–Iraq Military Observer Group, followed by various other missions, including UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, and UNTAET.
Women were first recruited into the armed forces in 1971, with the establishment of the Women’s Service Corps. The corps was later disbanded, and women were integrated into regular military units.
Kibaki Administration
Following the national elections of December 2007 and subsequent violence, a commission of inquiry commended the military’s readiness and performance. However, there have been allegations of human rights violations during counter-insurgency operations in the Mt Elgon area and Mandera central district.
In October 2011, Kenyan Army units crossed the border into Somalia to begin Operation Linda Nchi against Al-Shabaab insurgents. In June 2012, Kenyan forces were formally integrated into AMISOM.
Service Branches
The Kenya Defence Forces are composed of:
- Kenya Army
- Infantry Brigades
- Armored Brigade
- Artillery Brigade
- Engineer Brigade
- Air Cavalry Battalion
- Paratroopers and Ranger Units
- Various support units including the Kenya Army Ordnance Corps, Corps of Transport, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Corps of Signals, Military Police, Education Corps, and Medical Battalion
- Kenya Air Force
- Formed on 1 June 1964
- Main airbase at Laikipia Air Base, with other bases including Moi Air Base, Wajir Air Base, and Forward Operating Bases in Mombasa, Mandera, and Nyeri
- Kenya Navy
- Established on 12 December 1964
- Operates several bases including Mtongwe base in Mombasa, Shimoni, Msambweni, Malindi, Kilifi, and Manda (part of Lamu Archipelago)
