Kenya is acquiring a high-tech missile defense system from Israel using a billion shillings loan from Tel Aviv amid growing security threats in the Gulf of Aden from Houthi rebels and Somalia's Al-Shabaab.
The missile barrier, called the Spyder Air Defense System, will be acquired from an Israeli company, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, for an undisclosed cost through the loan, Treasury budget documents submitted to Parliament on Tuesday evening show.
The modernization of Kenya's defense system comes at a time of heightened security concerns that has seen Iran-backed Houthi rebels launch drones and missiles towards Israel and at commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The country still faces threats from the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab, which has carried out a series of attacks in the region since its formation more than a decade ago, including a bold 2020 attack on US forces in Kenya.
The timing of the Israeli deal with Kenya also comes against the backdrop of rising tensions in the Middle East following the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
The Treasury provided few details about the deal as the country races to modernize the Kenya Defense Forces.
“Procurement of the first (1) quantity of booster batteries for the medium-range surface-to-air missile system – SPYDER air defense system,” the Treasury Department said in budget documents anticipating new loans for the fiscal year beginning in July.
Israel is not one of Kenya's largest donors. Goods worth Sh6.84 billion were exported to Kenya against imports worth Sh978 million.
But Kenya has maintained strong relations with Israel and condemned the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the ongoing war. Kenya has since called for a cessation of hostilities.
The Sh1 billion loan deal is part of the Sh168 billion budget allocated to the Ministry of Defense for the financial year starting in July.
This comes as representatives continue to pressure the ministry to consider leasing the systems it uses to collect intelligence information due to the high costs associated with purchasing the equipment and its high rate of obsolescence.
“The Department of Defense is considering leasing the equipment and systems it uses since rapid changes in technology make leasing less expensive than purchasing. In this way, the Department will avoid the risk of sinking huge budgets into equipment and systems that become obsolete before the end of their useful life.”
Kenya does not declare its military purchases, and only Parliament is authorized to review secret expenditures. Some of Kenya's largest military expenditures have been revealed by international sources such as the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
These aircraft include helicopters, transport aircraft and jet fighters, illustrating the race to strengthen the country's air power.
In recent years, Kenya has continued to lead its regional neighbors in terms of budget growth and annual spending, raising concerns that it could spark an arms race in the region. The Spider air defense unit defends large areas against a wide range of threats.
“System components and interceptors can be flexibly combined, providing different configurations with different ranges and capabilities. All Spyder systems have multiple target engagement capabilities to deal with saturation attacks,” says Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd, manufacturer of the Spyder Air Defense Systems.
The system also provides protection against attacks by aircraft, helicopters and cruise missiles.
While the capabilities of this system are not clear from Treasury documents, the Middle Eastern country has demonstrated that it has strong capabilities to repel air attacks through its Iron Dome batteries.
Israel's most famous air defenses are the Iron Dome batteries, developed jointly with the United States, which are primarily used to shoot down short-range rockets fired by Palestinian militants.
During the recent conflicts with militants in Gaza, the regime intercepted about 90% of the shells that crossed into Israeli territory and targeted populated areas, according to the army.
Israel also repelled hundreds of drones and missiles launched by Iran on April 14 using a combination of its advanced air defenses and decisive support from Western powers and Arab partners.
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd is also the manufacturer of Iron Dome.
The Ministry of Defense spent more than Sh385 billion in the three years ending June 2023. The ministry’s budget grew by 38 percent from Sh122.26 billion in the 2020/21 financial year to Sh168 billion in 2024/25.
“The Ministry faced various challenges while implementing the mandate including but not limited to terrorism, extremism and religious extremism; complex and sophisticated organized crimes; “Rapid advances in military technologies are leading to a high rate of obsolescence of equipment and a high cost of modification,” notes the Treasury in its 2024/25 budget books.
The report notes that among the measures to address the challenges are “expanding infrastructure and enhancing military operations” and that “acquisition of modern equipment and development of related infrastructure” will be among the critical key performance indicators for the Ministry of Defense in the medium term.