The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has been ranked lower than other Eastern Africa countries when it comes to the number of personnel.
According to a study from Global Firepower, an agency that assesses the military strength of nations, KDF is ranked below Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania when it comes to personnel headcount.
The study revealed that Ethiopia is more powerful and commands a bigger force of 185,500 personnel, which is seven times that of Kenya which has 24,150 servicemen.
Equally, Uganda boasts of 45,000 soldiers, twice that of Kenya, while Tanzania has 30,000 servicemen.
“Going beyond military equipment totals and perceived fighting strength, is the actual manpower that drives a given military. Wars of attrition favour those with more,” states the study.
Kenya, however, still remains one of the most powerful forces and is ranked 11th in Africa and 75th worldwide based on its manpower, range of weaponry, logistical flexibility and budgets.
Global Firepower added that Kenya has an arms stockpile of 76 battle tanks, 591 armoured fighting vehicles, 30 self-propelled guns, 25 towed artillery, 131 aircraft, 17 fighter jets, and 61 helicopters.
Uganda’s weapons stand at 240 tanks, 43 aircraft, 1,060 armoured fighting vehicles and 26 multiple-launch rocket systems, while Tanzania’s arsenal includes 30 tanks, 150 armoured fighting vehicles and 30 aircraft.
The rankings show that Kenya’s army size has changed little since 2015 but the country still retained the top position as the largest military spender with an extensive $933 million budget, above that of Ethiopia and Uganda combined.
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