The origins of the present-day Kenya Army can be traced back to the British Army's King's African Rifles. In the last quarter of the 19th Century, the British began actively enforcing the abolition of the slave trade in East Africa. To safeguard British interests, the Imperial British East Africa Company was established. On 8 September 1888 the Imperial British East Africa Company was granted a royal charter and was charged with the responsibility of administering British East Africa on the lines of a Crown colony.
In August 1895 the British government sanctioned the establishment of a force composed of 300 Punjabi, 300 Swahili, 100 Sudanese, and 200 soldiers from various ethnic groups in the region. There was no conscription and the army was extremely selective, recruiting soldiers from ethnic groups with supposedly inherent military qualities, the so-called "martial races."
During World War II, indigenous soldiers from Kenya Colony fought in several campaigns. They fought against the Italians in Italian East Africa during the East African Campaign, against the Vichy French in Madagascar during the Battle of Madagascar, and against the Japanese in Burma during the Burma Campaign.
Kenyan authorities quickly began considering a parachute capability. "On October 14, 1964, the first batch of 40.
Kenya Army involvement in international peacekeeping, Peace Support Operations was first considered in 1973. Kenya's first actual participation in Peace Support Operations was in 1979, when the Commonwealth requested the Republic of Kenya to contribute troops for the Commonwealth Monitoring Force in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Subsequently, the Kenya Army contributed officers towards operations in Chad in 1982 on the request of the Organization of African Unity. In 1989 the Army sent military observers and an infantry battalion to the United Nations Transitional Assistance Group (UNTAG) in Namibia. To date, Kenyan United Nations peacekeepers have served in 16 different countries in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Asia.
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The Kenya Army is made up of various formations and services. These formations and services are divided between two operational commands, the Western Command (WestCom) headquartered in Lanet and Eastern Command (EastCom) based at Embakasi Garrison. The Eastern Command was established in 1997 and its role is to defend the Eastern region of Kenya against external and internal threats. Western Command is tasked with defending the Western region of the country and includes the former Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza provinces.
Some of the Kenya Rifles battalions include:
- 3rd Battalion, Kenya Rifles. This is Kenya's oldest unit which dates back to the 1880s. They are based in Lanet, Nakuru.
- 5th Kenya Rifles. Based in Gilgil, their colour is Dark Blue.
- 9 Kenya Rifles - Moi Barracks, Eldoret. Their colour is Orange. Their unit motto is 'Orangers fire and war machines'.
- 1st Battalion, Kenya Rifles.
- 7 Kenya Rifles - Langata Barracks, Nairobi.
- 15th Kenya Rifles. Formed in the early 1990s. It has been based in the coastal region of the country. currently housed at Mariakani Barracks.
- 17 Kenya Rifles - Formed in 2011 and in late 2018 stationed at Modika. They are known as the 'Desert Rangers' and their colour is purple.
- 19 Kenya Rifles - Nyali Barracks. Also known as the 'Ash Warriors'.
25 MIB (Mechanised Infantry Battalion) who officially received their Presidential and regimental colours during the 2023 Jamhuri Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi.
This Corps mainly deals with maintenance of motor and mechanical equipment that is used in the Kenya Army.
История развития танковых войск СССР РФ
The Armoured Brigade: Formation and Equipment
The brigade was formed as a result of an expansion of capabilities and equipment within the army to counter emerging threats from neighbouring countries. The Armoured Brigade was formally established in 1979 and was made up of one main tank battalion and one armoured reconnaissance battalion. The Brigade Headquarters was located at Isiolo Barracks in 1990.
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The entire formation consists of five battalions, with three handling the main battle tanks and two equipped for armoured reconnaissance.
The first unit formed was the 76 Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion at the Kenya Army Headquarters, though its roots can be traced back to 1968. The unit was equipped with Ferret Scout cars and in 1969 was designated as a Light Armoured Squadron. The LAS was made up of two Ferret Scout cars and one troop of Saladin cars.
The Army command envisioned the growth of the unit to combat the rising challenges at the time and a number of Panhard AML 245 cars were procured from France. The Panhards would help in forming the first squadron which would give rise to the 76th Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion. This is the second armoured unit in the brigade tasked with reconnaissance and is based at Isiolo.
The unit can trace its roots back to 1963, during the early days of the Kenya Army, when it inherited four Ferret Scout cars from a small light armoured sub-unit.
In the 1970s, the army saw the need to form a main tank battalion and thus the 78 Tank Battalion was established in 1978 along with a sister unit, the 81 Tank Battalion, in 1981. It was formed in 1981 at Lanet under the command of then Major J. J. Wang'ombe. It was carved from the 78th Tank Battalion and the 76 Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion under with Captain Mwangangi as the commanding officer. The unit was assigned its first batch of soldiers from Armed Forces Technical College in August 1981, and three tanks followed the following month.
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The brigade is currently equipped with Vickers Main Battle Tank Mark 3 and T-72 Main Battle Tanks to combat enemy armour. The brigade is also equipped with a number of Panhard AML for reconnaissance missions.
Vickers Main Battle Tank Mark 3
Controversies Surrounding Tank Acquisitions
The acquisition of T-72s has caused significant controversy. Thirty-three vehicles ordered from Ukraine were hijacked by Somali pirates. The Ukrainian Defence Minister Yury Yekhanurov confirmed 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks and "a substantial quantity of ammunition" were aboard the captured cargo ship, called the Faina". The ship they were being carried in, MV Faina was released and the tanks unloaded in the port city of Mombasa in February 2009.
There have been doubts expressed as to whether the T-72s imported by Kenya are intended for use by the Kenyan Army. The KDF attempted to dispel speculation by publicly showing these tanks (and other hardware) as part of its arsenal on 22 August 2010, during rehearsals for the passing of the new Constitution of Kenya. Nevertheless, a cloud of doubt hung over the intent of the tank acquisition.
Vz. 77 T-72AV from Ukraine in 2007
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