Kenya must invest in its military – Senator Kajwang

Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang has stressed the importance of Kenya augmenting its military infrastructure in light of changing global warfare and emerging security threats.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, Kajwang emphasized the need for Kenya to invest in advanced military technologies, pointing out that Kenya currently allocates only one percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the armed forces.

According to the Supplementary Budget II 2024/25, the defense forces have been allocated Ksh.176,339,126,106 for the year ending June 2025.

“Mr. Speaker, we must spend on our military, and this is a conversation we must have. We are spending only 1 percent of our GDP on the military and yet we are seeing guns pointed at Kenya from all corners,” Kajwang said, referencing ongoing conflicts near Kenya’s borders.

Furthermore, Kajwang highlighted the evolving nature of warfare, noting the rise of drone technology and emphasizing that Kenya's enemies can now launch attacks from a distance, posing new challenges to national security.

“We are seeing drones pointed at Kenya from all corners. The war in Syria has confirmed that your enemy does not need to be your neighbour. Turkey can hammer Syria from wherever they are; Kenya can even be hammered from Yemen or the UAE,” he said.

“This is the time to ask ourselves is our military getting the right budgetary allocation and are they making the right decisions with those budgets.”

Kajwang also expressed concern about the state of Kenya’s Air Force, particularly its aging fleet of fighter jets and whether they would be capable of responding effectively in the event of a major conflict.

“Every time we go on a public holiday, we see those jets flying past and to be honest, since I was a little child it’s the same jets that I’ve seen flying past,” he said.

“I wonder if there was a serious strife or any battle between Kenya and a neighbouring state, whether those jets will be airworthy or whether they will be able to go and attack the enemy.”

Further, the Senator urged the ruling government to be proactive in modernizing its military to safeguard its sovereignty and regional stability.

“This idea of saying that the military is a closed black box that we cannot talk about…. If we have a weak military no one is going to give us respect,” he said.

“You have seen instances where in the old saying that the tail can wag a dog …we are seeing a tiny country and I won’t mention names being able to attack invade and overthrow the President of another country which is 100 times its size. This is a conversation we must have!”

Senator Kajwang: I wonder whether, in case of war, those jets that fly past during public holidays would be airworthy pic.twitter.com/2VyRfkrOcZ— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) February 19, 2025