The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) 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. 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. 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.
Admiral Christopher Alexander Barrie, is a retired senior officer of the Royal Australian Navy, who served as Chief of the Defence Force from 4 July 1998 to 3 July 2002.
Jamhuri Day is a national holiday in Kenya, celebrated on 12 December each year. Jamhuri is the Swahili word for "republic" and the holiday officially marks the date when Kenya became an independent country on 12 December 1963, six months after gaining internal self-rule on 1 June 1963 from the United Kingdom. Kenya later became an republic, with the inauguration of Jomo Kenyatta as president taking place on 12 December 1964, exactly one year after Kenya attained independence in 1963. Kenyatta, having previously been sworn in as prime minister, continued as prime minister of newly independent Kenya, before assuming the position of president one year after Independence Day.
The Kenya Navy is the naval branch of the Kenya Defence Forces. It is headquartered in Mombasa.
The Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) is the highest-ranking military officer in the Kenya Defence Forces and the principal military adviser to the President of Kenya and the National Security Council. The CDF outranks all respective heads of each service branch and has operational command authority over the service branches. He leads the meetings and coordinates the efforts of the Service Commander, comprising the CDF, the Commander of the Kenya Army and Kenya Air Force, Kenya Navy and the Commandant of Military Intelligence. The CDF has offices in Ulinzi House. Following the 2010 Constitution, the Chief of the General Staff was replaced with the Chief of the Defence Forces.
Vice Admiral Tahseen Ullah Khan was a Pakistan Navy naval officer and served as director-general of the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency. A Navy engineer officer, Khan has previously served as a Defence Attaché at the Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia and as a military advisor to the Malaysian Navy.
The Kenya Army is the land arm of the Kenya Defence Forces.
General Wilson Mbasu Mbadi is a senior military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Minister of State for trade, industry and cooperatives. He served as the Chief of Defense Forces, the highest position in Uganda's military from June 2021 until March 2024 having replaced General David Muhoozi, who was appointed State Minister of Internal Affairs.
Kenya–United Kingdom relations are bilateral relations between Kenya and the United Kingdom. The interactions between the two states have been positive and friendly since Kenya's independence in 1963. Both the UK and Kenya are members of the Commonwealth of Nations and engage with each other regularly on matters of military, economic and cultural importance. Kenya retains many aspects of British culture and governance, such as continuing to use English within administration, education and the law, driving on the left, hosting a diaspora community of Britons, and having a large Protestant population. The British military continues to play an important role in the country with Kenya hosting the UK's largest base in Africa, which provides vital anti-terrorism training to the Kenyan police. The British royal family, in particular Elizabeth II had very close personal ties to the country. Elizabeth II was in Kenya when she received news that her father King George VI had died, and had made multiple state visits throughout her reign. To mark the 2022 Platinum Jubilee, Prince Edward visited the country to reinforce ties and celebrate Kenya's historic and current relationship with the UK. British tourism and finance are significant contributors to the Kenyan economy, with 100,000 British people visiting the country ever year for its national parks and wildlife.
The Battle of El Adde took place on 15 January 2016. Al-Shabaab militants launched an attack on a Kenyan-run AMISOM army base in the town of El Adde, Gedo, Somalia. It remains the deadliest attack on the African Union Mission to Somalia and is the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) largest defeat since independence in 1963. As such, the Kenyan government went to extreme lengths to conceal the extent of its losses. It has been described by the media as a "military massacre" or military disaster. It was also the largest military defeat in Kenyan history.
The Kenya Army Band is the primary military musical unit in the Kenya Army and by extension Kenya Defence Forces. From independence it was the only band in the Kenya Defence Forces until 1985 when the Kenya Air Force Band was formed and later in 1999 when the Kenya Navy Band was formed. All members of the band also play their primary role as Infantry Branch, with many having been deployed on various peace keeping missions, Somalia and South Sudan.
The Kenya Navy Band is the sole musical unit in the Kenya Navy and one of three state-sponsored military bands in the Kenya Defence Forces.
Brigadier Vincent Naisho Loonena, is a Kenyan military officer in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). Effective 2018, he was till April 12, 2023 the Director General of Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), a specialized maritime force of the Republic of Kenya, responsible for law enforcement on national waters, including on the oceans, lakes and rivers. Prior to his current assignment, he was the managing director of the KDF Medical Insurance Program, where he had served for four months, since July 2018.
Lieutenant General Walter Koipaton Raria, is a Kenyan military officer. Between July 2018 and July 2022, he served as the Commander Kenya Army, a service branch of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
Jackson Kimeu Mulinge was a Kenyan military officer, and Chief of the General Staff in the 1980s. He was the longest serving head of Kenya's Armed Forces and the first Kenyan military officer to attain the rank of four-star general.
General Robert Kariuki Kibochi is a Kenyan military officer who served from May 2020 to May 2023 as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). He was the first non-infantry officer from the Kenya Army to be appointed as CDF as a member of the Kenya Army Corps of Signals, the military personnel responsible for conveying of information.
The Kenya Special Forces are units tasked with special operations found within the three branches of the Kenya Defence Forces and are under Special Forces Operations Command. The Army has the largest number of these units under the Army Special Operations Brigade (Kenya) containing the 20th Parachute Battalion (20th Paras), 30th Special Forces Battalion (30 SF) and 40th Ranger Strike Force (40 RSF). The Air Force has a Rapid Deployment Squadron (RDS) tasked with retrieving airmen behind enemy lines and it is the most recent addition to Kenya's specialized military units. The Navy has two units under its Special Operations Squadron which are the Clearance Diving Unit (CDU) and the main Special Boat Unit (SBU) formed with American assistance in the mid 2000s. The Special Operations Training School (SOTS) in Gilgil, Naivasha serves as the premier training establishment for all potential special forces operators. Kenyan special forces have been deployed in Southern Somalia, the Frontier counties of Mandera, Wajir and Garissa on the border with Somalia, Boni Forest near the Somali border and Eastern DRC
Lieutenant General Peter Mbogo Njiru, is a Kenyan military officer, who serves as the Commander, Kenya Army, since July 2022. The Kenya Army is a service branch of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). Before his present assignment, General Njiru was the commander of the Kenya Joint Command and Staff College, at the rank of Major General.
Jeremiah Mutinda Kianga is a former Kenyan Army Commander and Chief of the General Staff. He is known for having introduced the principle of Kaizen-continuous development for all officers in the Kenya Defence Forces. During his tenure he established collaborations with local universities to enable officers pursue further studies under the Defence Forces Continuous Education Programme.
General Francis Omondi Ogolla was a Kenyan military officer who served from April 2023 to April 2024 as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
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Kenya Defence Forces