Kenya and the UK have signed a new five-year Defence Cooperation Agreement in a side event during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s three-day visit in the UK.
Defence CS Monica Juma, and her UK counterpart Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, signed the new DCA on July 27 at the Ministry of Defence offices in London.
The ministry said the agreement will anchor the defence priorities between the two nations over the next five years.
The signing of the DCA comes six months after the two defence secretaries met in Nairobi, agreeing a refreshed Security Compact.
The new agreement, once ratified by the Kenyan and UK Parliaments, will allow militaries to share expertise, experience and techniques, making both forces more effective.
Speaking at the signing event, Wallace, said they had a very fruitful discussions and agreed on a range of measures to keep both countries safer.
“Kenya has long been our defence partner of choice in East Africa and, in a more uncertain world, we will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as we tackle the threats of tomorrow," he said.
CS Juma, said the two countries have reaffirmed their commitment to continue deepening the defence cooperation.
"The framework underpinning this strategic relationship is the Defence Cooperation Agreement which has become an invaluable tool for enhancing the competencies of our defence forces. Overall our cooperation continues to significantly improve the ability of our forces to operate effectively in high-threat environments.," he said.
The current DCA has had many successes over the past five years of military cooperation.
Under the agreement, the UK has provided an annual training of over 1100 KDF soldiers, with courses in the UK, or with UK military training teams in Kenya.
Further training has also been provided through the UK-funded Counter-IED Wing at the Humanitarian Peace Support School (HPSS) in Embakasi.
Since its opening in 2016, over 2,000 military and police from 22 countries have been trained in CIED skills and 40 CIED instructors developed, significantly improving the ability of African Union forces to operate effectively in high-threat environments, including against Al Shabaab.
The UK has also provided extensive support to infrastructure projects at the KDF’s School of Infantry, which include an urban village, a Forward Operating Base, and an assault course, all which prepare more than 600 KDF personnel for deployment in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
The UK has been supporting AMISOM Troop Contributing Countries since 2010, through the Short Term Training Teams (STTTs) from the British Army, which costs KES43M annually.
The presence of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) has had significant benefits for the local economy and community.
It has contributed over Sh5.8 billion to the economies of Laikipia, Samburu and Isiolo.