Kenya cut its defence budget by Sh3.8 billion in 2014, the year that the Somali-based Al-Shabaab militants intensified its assault on the country’s interests, a new global report shows
East Africa’s largest economy spent Sh75.8 billion ($875 million) on its army last year, down from Sh79.7 billion ($832 million) in 2013, as per the report published on Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).
Unlike Kenya, the other East African countries —Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda — grew their defence budgets, underlining an arms race in the region.
But Sipri officials said they were unsuccessful in finding out how Kenya’s defence force used the money.
“I was not able to find a detailed breakdown of the budget from the government or other sources,” said the Sipri military expenditure programme director Samuel Perlo-Freeman in a response to the Business Daily’s queries.
“This indicates lack of transparency in Kenyan military spending which would prevent citizens from having a meaningful understanding of how their money is being spent and whether it is being spent effectively,” he added.
The government does not make public its military purchases, and only Parliament is mandated to scrutinise classified expenditure of the security organs.
Worse still, plans are underway to push through the Public Audit Bill which will classify findings on military, police and intelligence spending and limit public access.
“Aside from spending levels, I have seen suggestions that a major problem impeding Kenya’s fight against Al- Shabaab is corruption in the armed forces,” said Dr Perlo-Freeman, pointing to the recent attack on Garissa University College which left 148 people dead.
Ironically, Kenya cut its military expenditure in a year that Somalia-based Al-Shabaab militants had increased grenade and gun attacks in Lamu, northern Kenya and Nairobi, including the Westgate Mall assault in September.
Even though Kenya’s neighbours grew their budgets, they still lag behind in amount allocated. Tanzania last year increased its military spending 12.7 per cent to Sh42.6 billion while Uganda grew it budget 4.5 per cent to Sh29.8 billion. Rwanda’s expenditure grew 4.1 per cent to Sh7.9 billion.
Sipri compiled the military forces’ salaries, benefits, operational expenses, arms and equipment purchases, military construction, research and development and central administration in arriving at the data.
Kenya has lately come under pressure to combat emerging threats such as Somali terrorism, arms smuggling as well as human and drug trafficking.
The country bought heavy arms valued at Sh2.6 billion ($29 million) from Serbia last year.
Source: Business Daily
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