Kenya’s military spending rose to Sh166.08 billion in 2024, newly released global data shows, marking the sharpest increase rate in eight years as the country sought to modernise its defence system amid heightened security threats.
This was an increase of 12.7 percent from the Sh147.37 billion the country spent on its military in the 12 months to December 2023, according to data from the Sweden-based Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent global security think tank.
The higher military spending, which came at a time when the world was roiled by conflict in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, was due to increased arms purchases from the US and Turkey.
“In 2024, Kenya’s main suppliers are Türkiye and the United States. The primary driver of these purchases is likely political violence, including counterterrorism operations against groups such as Al-Shabaab in its bordering country Somalia,” Zubaida A. Karim, Research Assistant in the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme, told the Business Daily.
Historically, the US has been considered to have the most extensive and influential military-industrial complex, encompassing a vast network of defence contractors, military bases, research military bases, research facilities, and government agencies.
Since 2015, Kenya’s military spending has increased by 16 percent from $843 million (Sh108.9 billion).
The 2014 purchases marked Kenya’s steepest increase in military spending since 2016 when military expenditure rose by 14.4 percent and came at a time when it emerged that the country acquired a high-tech missile defence system from Israel.
Disclosures by the National Assembly Committee on Budget and Appropriations showed that Kenya had allocated money for the procurement of the Spider Defence System from Tel Aviv at a cost of Sh4 billion.
Missile defence systems detect, intercept, and destroy attacking missiles such as intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The increased military spending—and the upgrade of Kenya’s defence system—came in a period of heightened security concerns that had seen Iranian-backed Houthi rebels fire drones and missiles towards Israel and on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The country still faces threats from the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab that has carried out a spate of attacks in the region since it was formed more than a decade ago, including a 2020 audacious assault on US forces in Kenya.
“Over 100 countries around the world raised their military spending in 2024. As governments increasingly prioritise military security, often at the expense of other budget areas, the economic and social trade-offs could have significant effects on societies for years to come,’ said Xiao Liang, Researcher with the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme.
Although Kenya does not make public its military purchases and only Parliament is mandated to scrutinise the classified expenditure by security organs, sections of expenditure items are known to have been revealed through other international sources.
The Sipri report shows that Nairobi’s military bill accounted for one percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year, sustaining the proportion for three years in a row since 2022.
The military expenditure has more than doubled during the past decade, growing 130 percent from Sh72.01 billion in 2014 to Sh166.1 billion last year.
“In the financial year ending June, the Ministry of Defence has been allocated a total of Sh179. 7 billion, reflecting a net increase of Sh6.8 billion from the first supplementary budget on account of enhanced security operations,” said the Treasury.
A big chunk of the allocation, Sh176.17 billion, was recurrent while the rest was development.
Most of the recurrent allocation for the Ministry of Defence goes to salaries and allowances. Operation costs related to food, fuel, and the day-to-day running of military facilities are the other major recurrent spending.
In development, Kenya has been actively working to modernise its military capabilities and has invested heavily in new and advanced military equipment, including tactical vehicles, aerial surveillance kits, and aircraft such as helicopters and drones.
Kenya has also bought armoured personnel carriers from countries such as the United Arab Emirates to enhance troop protection and mobility and anti-tank weapons through support programmes like the European Peace Facility.
A portion of Kenya’s budget is allocated to ensure that Kenya’s military equipment meets United Nations standards. This is to qualify for reimbursements when Kenyan troops are deployed in peacekeeping missions.
Save for the Shifta War in which Kenya fought against Somali separatists in North Eastern Province shortly after independence and the military incursion into southern Somalia to flush out Al Shabaab, Kenya has never gone to war against another country.
Kenyan troops have been part of the multinational force working to combat Al Shabaab, secure key areas, and support the Somali government.
The country has maintained a military presence in Somalia for over a decade as part of the ongoing effort to rid the Horn of African nation of the terrorist outfit, which has occasionally mounted attacks within the Kenyan borders.
Among the East African Community peers, Kenya continued to lead in being the biggest military spender.
Uganda came second with a Sh147.9 billion expenditure, followed by Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo whose spending stood at Sh115.04 billion and Sh113.5 billion respectively, while South Sudan’s military was the least spender at Sh7.9 billion. Somalia, Burundi, and Rwanda spent Sh25.99 billion, Sh21.5 billion, and Sh21.3 billion respectively on their armies during the year.
An annual ranking by Global Firepower, an agency that assesses the military strengths of nations, has rated the Kenyan army as the 83rd most powerful in the world among 145 countries considered in 2025, with an index score of 1.8135. The agency considers a 0.0 score ‘perfect’. The ranking was last reviewed on January 8, 2025.
The report by Sipri, first produced 36 years ago, shows that military spending in Africa totalled $52.1 billion (Sh6.73 trillion) last year, an increase of three percent from $50.2 billion (Sh6.485 trillion) in 2023 and 11 percent higher than in 2015.
World military expenditure reached $2718 billion (Sh351.15 trillion) in 2024, an increase of 9.4 percent in real terms from 2023 and the steepest year-on-year rise since at least the end of the Cold War.
Military spending increased in all world regions, with particularly rapid growth in both Europe and the Middle East. The top five military spenders—the United States, China, Russia, Germany, and India—accounted for 60 percent of the global total, with combined spending of $1635 billion (Sh211.23 trillion).
