For the colonial-era formation known as the Kenya Defence Force, see Kenya Regiment.
Kenya Defence Forces
Majeshi ya Ulinzi ya Kenya
Flag
Coat of arms
Service branches
Kenya Army Kenya Air Force Kenya Navy
Website
mod.go.ke
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief
President William Ruto
Defence Cabinet Secretary
Aden Duale
Chief of Defence Forces
General Francis Omondi Ogolla
Vice Chief of Defence Forces
Lieutenant General Charles Muriu Kahariri
Personnel
Military age
18
Active personnel
50,000[1]
Expenditures
Budget
KSH1,097,000,000 ($7,714,486.639 July 27)(FY2018/19)[2]
Percent of GDP
1.5%
Industry
Domestic suppliers
Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation National Security Industries Ruiru[3]
Foreign suppliers
China India Pakistan Uganda Netherlands United Kingdom United States
Related articles
History
Second World War (as King's African Rifles) (1939–45) Malayan Emergency (1948–60) Mau Mau Revolt (1952–60) After Independence Shifta War (1963–67) Mount Elgon insurgency (2005–08) Operation Linda Nchi (2011–12) War in Somalia (2012–present) Kivu conflict (2022–present)
Ranks
Military ranks of Kenya
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 made up 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.[4] Its main mission is the defence and protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kenya, recruitment to the KDF is done on yearly basis.[5] The President of Kenya is 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.
The Defence Forces, like many Kenyan government institutions, has been tainted by corruption. Because the military have been traditionally cloaked by the blanket of "state security", the corruption has been less in public view, and thus less subject to public scrutiny and notoriety. But in 2010, credible claims of corruption were made with regard to recruitment,[6] and procurement of Armoured Personnel Carriers.[7] The decision on the Northrop F-5 "Tiger" aircraft procurement have been publicly questioned.[8] In 2015, credible allegations were made that the KDF is involved with sugar smuggling from southern Somalia into Kenya, to avoid import dues.[9]
The KDF is regularly deployed in peacekeeping and warfighting missions, for example the counter-insurgency fight against Al-Shabaab in Somalia since 2011.
^"Murmurs in KDF after salaries deducted for hunger kitty". 30 November 2022.
^"Kenya broke new record in defense spending". Army Recognition. May 2019.
^"Kenya opens rifle factory". janes.com.
^Ministry of Defence. "Kenya Defence Forces Act – No. 25 of 2012". National Council for Law Reporting. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
^"Kenya Defence Forces Recruitment Dates 2020". Kenyadmission. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
^"Activists give military 5 days to re-admit recruit :: Kenya – The Standard". Standardmedia.co.ke. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
^"Sh1.6 billion tender scandal rocks DoD :: Kenya – The Standard". Standardmedia.co.ke. 25 October 2010. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
^"Kenya's 'new' fighter jets cannot take off: Kenya – The Standard". Standardmedia.co.ke. 31 October 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
^"The Kenyan army is accused of running a sugar-smuggling racket with Somali terrorists". The Economist. 23 November 2015. and Petrich Cows, Charcoal, and Cocaine: Al-Shabaab's Criminal Activities in the Horn of Africa
and 27 Related for: Kenya Defence Forces information
The KenyaDefenceForces (KDF) (Swahili: Majeshi ya Ulinzi ya Kenya, stylized as "KENYA ARMED FORCES" capitalized on its coat of arms) are the armed forces...
The Kenya Special Forces are units tasked with special operations found within the three branches of the KenyaDefenceForces and are under Special Forces...
Self-Defense ForcesKenyaDefenceForces Lesotho Defence Force Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces Malawian Defence Force Maldives National Defence Force...
The Kenya Army is the land arm of the KenyaDefenceForces. The origin of the present day Kenya Army lie with the British Army's King's African Rifles...
The Kenya Navy is the naval branch of the KenyaDefenceForces. It is headquartered in Mombasa. Kenya Navy has two major bases for its fleet with it being...
of Kenya and is the commander-in-chief of the KenyaDefenceForces. The country's current president is William Ruto since 13 September 2022. Kenya's pre-independence...
Deployment Squadron (RDS) is the newest special forces unit among all three branches of the KenyaDefenceForces.[citation needed] It is predominantly tasked...
President of Kenya Flag of KenyaDefenceForces Flag of Kenya Navy Presidential Standard of the Navy Flag of Kenya Air Force Flag of Kenya with the coat...
Nations or the European Union to alleviate misunderstanding. In the KenyaDefenceForces Commandant is an appointment. Commandant is the title of the head...
military ranks of Kenya are the military insignia used by the KenyaDefenceForces. Being a former colony of the United Kingdom, Kenya shares a rank structure...
officer from Kenya who was Chief of the General Staff of the KenyaDefenceForces from 2011 until 2015. Julius Karangi joined the Kenya Air Force in 1973...
Kibochi is a Kenyan military officer who served from May 2020 to May 2023 as the Chief of DefenceForces (CDF) of the KenyaDefenceForces (KDF). He was...
Valley. The KenyaDefenceForces are the armed forces of Kenya. The Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air Force compose the National DefenceForces. The current...
Mwathethe, is a Kenyan military officer. Effective April 2015 to May 2020, he was the Chief of DefenceForces (CDF) of the KenyaDefenceForces (KDF), the...
as the Ash Warriors. Raymond Kirui, attached to 7 Kenya Rifles, who joined the KenyaDefenceForces on 25 October 2010, died on 24 November, last year...
Kenyan military and conducts joint exercises with the KenyaDefenceForces (KDF). From 2019 to 2021, the British Army and the KenyanDefenceForces conducted...
a Kenyan military officer, who serves as the Commander, Kenya Army, since July 2022. The Kenya Army is a service branch of the KenyaDefenceForces (KDF)...
Kenya Police ranks is as follows: Inspector-General (formerly Commissioner of Police) – equivalent to the 2-star general in the KenyaDefenceForces (KDF)...
The Kenya Army Band is the primary military musical unit in the Kenya Army and by extension KenyaDefenceForces. From independence it was the only band...
KenyaDefenceForces enter southern Somalia beginning in 2011. The Kenyan government declared the operation completed in March 2012, but its forces then...
General Staff of the KenyaDefenceForces for the next ten years. Hussein Maalim Mohamed Mohammed Hussein Ali Hornsby, Charles (2013). Kenya: A History Since...
"KenyaDefenceForces". July 9, 2013. "General Robert Kibochi Visits Kenya Army Units in Isiolo – Ministry of Defence – Kenya". mod.go.ke. "Kenya Defence...
of Kenya which help lead the Government of Kenya. There are currently 21 ministries in the Cabinet of Kenya. Parliament of Kenya Senate of Kenya National...
that the Kenyan troops stationed at the Manda Air Strip hid in grass fields during the attack. This was denied by the KenyaDefenceForces. An independent...
principle of Kaizen-continuous development for all officers in the KenyaDefenceForces. During his tenure he established collaborations with local universities...
the current strategy. According to reports of UN monitors, the KenyanDefenceForces (KDF) and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have undermined...
most republics. The President is also the Commander-in-chief of the KenyaDefenceForces. The President is the head of the country's Cabinet, which consists...