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The government spent 14.6 billion shillings in 2017 to buy US military equipment.
This is the largest acquisition of US military equipment in the last decade. It places Kenya in second place among African states that traded military equipment with the US government in 2017.
The report from the Agency for Security and Defense Cooperation (DSCA) shows that Egypt is at the top of the ranking, having spent 57 billion shillings in military equipment last year. The report evaluated the 2016-17 fiscal year. Tunisia is third at 5.4 billion shillings and Morocco at 5.3 billion shillings.
The transaction represents about 6.4 percent of the Sh91 billion that the Kenyan government has allocated to the military.
Another report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute in 2018 shows that Kenya's defense budget is the largest in East Africa.
According to the British magazine Jane's Defense Weekly, Kenya is among the 10 countries and the only one in Africa to conclude an agreement with the United States for the purchase of a multi-purpose wheeled vehicle (HMMWV) with a projectile shot mounted at the rear.
In December 2015, the Kenyan government introduced the first of a series of applications for the acquisition of six aircraft – Air Tractor AT-802. These are agricultural planes that can also be used for aerial attacks.
Read: KDF acquires US equipment under the name of Uhuru and Trump reinforces the war on terror
The agreement also included the acquisition of two training planes.
The DSCA shows that Kenya's heavy military spending is due to the need to defend its territory against Al Shabaab, which has in the past targeted civilians and security personnel in major cities and border towns.
The estimated cost for the six aircraft was about 24.3 billion shillings.
However, it is only in March 2017 that the US government has agreed to the agreement. This followed reviews by the DSCA, the State Defense Department and Congress.
The offer was due to expire last June, but, according to the US Accountability Office report released last September, Kenyan government officials have asked for more time to allow the conclusion of the August 8, 2017 general election. .
The US government has asked the Air Force to authorize an extension. This gave the Kenyan government until September of last year to make a decision.
As of August 30 last year, the Kenyan government had not officially accepted this offer. It is still unclear whether the Kenyan government has agreed to the agreement.
Read also: UK and Kenya sign Defense Agreement for Army Training in Nanyuki
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