The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) spent a record Sh190.25 billion on expenses such as modern weapons in 2025. This level of spending marked a 17 percent increase on the Sh162.64 billion that Kenya’s military spent in the previous 2024 year.
This spending has been revealed by data collected by Swedish security think tank known as Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Regionally, Kenya’s military was the largest spender on weapons while in the Sub-Saharan region, Kenya’s military was ranked third in spending.
According to the data provided by SIPRI, Uganda’s military expenditure came in at about Sh167.9 billion while Tanzania’s military spending was Sh133.4 billion.
Ethiopia’s military recorded a 24.6 percent decline in spending after using Sh68.4 billion.
The data further showed that Kenya’s military expenditure in the year 2025 accounted for 4.63 percent of the total government spending in 2025.
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According to SIPRI, military expenditure includes all of the government’s spending on current military activities and obligations including salaries, benefits, operational expenses, arms and equipment purchases, military construction, research and development, and central administration, command, and support.
The spending by the government on the KDF has been rising steadily over the last ten years. For instance, since 2016, spending has increased by 57.5 percent from Sh120.8 billion to the current Sh190.25 billion.
This has come amidst regional threats from Somalia- linked terror outfits such as Al Shabaab.
At the same time, Kenya has been seeking deals with more military powers including Israel.
In late 2025 for instance, Kenya received the SPYDER air defense system from Israel as part of a Sh3.4 billion loan deal that was made to boost Kenya’s air defense capabilities.
The SPYDER system was developed by Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and it has the ability to intercept aircraft drones, UAVs, helicopters, and precision-guided munitions.
