By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya, September 01, 2026 - The Kenya Navy is facing a growing funding squeeze that could undermine efforts to modernise its operations and confront emerging threats in the country’s vast maritime territory, Parliament has been told.
Despite substantial increases in the defence budget in recent years, the Navy says much of the money is consumed by personnel costs and maintenance of existing equipment and infrastructure, leaving limited resources for acquiring new capabilities.
The warning emerged when the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations conducted an oversight visit to the Kenya Navy Headquarters in Mombasa to assess its operational preparedness, capital projects and capacity to secure the country’s maritime domain.
The committee was briefed that the distinction between sustenance funding and modernisation funding remains critical in determining whether the Navy has adequate resources to perform its constitutional mandate.
While defence allocations have increased, officials said the growth in funding available for modernisation has been much slower because of competing demands, including salaries and the upkeep of existing assets.
Committee chairperson Nelson Koech (Belgut) said Kenya’s maritime space was too strategically important to be left inadequately protected, warning that the country must sustain investment in naval capabilities.
“Kenya's maritime domain represents a critical strategic and economic asset,” Mr Koech said.
He said the Navy operates across a vast oceanic expanse while simultaneously dealing with national defence, economic security and regional stability.
“As global maritime challenges continue to evolve—from piracy to geopolitical competition to supply chain disruptions—Kenya's role as a maritime anchor state in the region has become increasingly important,” he said.
The committee said modern ships, surveillance systems, infrastructure and other critical equipment were necessary to enable the Navy to respond effectively to threats within Kenya’s territorial waters and the wider maritime domain.
The oversight comes at a time when Kenya is seeking to expand the economic potential of its blue economy, making the protection of sea routes, ports, fisheries and other maritime assets increasingly important to national development.
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Lawmakers also stressed the need for closer coordination between government agencies responsible for maritime security.
They said stronger inter-agency collaboration would improve maritime surveillance, intelligence and information sharing, as well as ensure faster and coordinated responses to incidents within Kenya’s territorial waters.
The committee was also taken through plans to develop the Naval Training College into a regional centre of excellence for maritime security education.
The initiative is expected to strengthen professional training through standardised curricula and alignment with international certification requirements, while enhancing regional cooperation in maritime security.
The lawmakers also inspected Kenya Shipyards in Mombasa to assess its operational capacity, delivery of projects and management of government resources invested in maritime infrastructure.
Officials said the Mombasa and Kisumu shipyards are central to the government's ambition to build domestic capacity in shipbuilding, ship repair and maritime engineering.
The facilities are also expected to reduce Kenya’s dependence on foreign shipyards while creating opportunities for expansion of the regional maritime industry.
The committee said its oversight exercise would help identify the policy, institutional and budgetary interventions required to strengthen the Navy and Kenya Shipyards as the country assumes greater responsibilities in securing its maritime interests.