The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Kenya is a cabinet-level office in charge of defense-related matters of

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. It oversees the Kenya Defence Forces. It is currently headed by Her Excellency Soipan Tuya.

History

During the Shifta War, a centralized high command was established, however the Ministry of Defence was mostly dormant with the service commanders under the direct operational control of the president. From 1979-2000, Ministry of Defence was renamed to the Department of Defence (DoD), placed under the Office of the President

Daniel arap Moi Daniel Toroitich arap Moi ( ; 2 September 1924 – 4 February 2020) was a Kenyan politician who served as the second president of Kenya from 1978 to 2002. He is the country's longest-serving president to date. Moi previously served as the thi ...

and led by the Deputy Secretary. The DoD dealt mostly with administrative and logistical matters.

Building

The Ministry of Defence is located at Ulinzi House off Lenana Road in Nairobi.

Structure

Source: * Administration Department * Finance Department * Accounts Department * Head of Public Communications * Director Policy, Strategy and Planning * Human Resource Management and Development * Supply Chain Department * Internal Auditor General * Information Communications Technology

Cabinet Secretary

The Cabinet Secretary oversees the Ministry of Defence and is the policy maker of the KDF and chief defence policy advisor to the

President of Kenya The president of the Republic of Kenya () is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Kenya. The president is also the head of the executive branch of the Government of Kenya and is the commander-in-chief of the Kenya De ...

. He/She serves as Chairman of the Defence Council, the supreme body of the MoD that manages the Kenya Defence Forces.

List

Minister of Defence

* Jomo Kenyatta (1963-1964) * Njoroge Mungai (1964-1969) * James Gichuru (1969-1978)

Minister of State for Defence

* Julius Lekakeny Sunkuli (2000-2003) * Chris Murungaru (2003-2005) * Njenga Karume (2006-2008) * Mohamed Yusuf Haji (2008–2013)

Cabinet Secretary for Defense

* Raychelle Omamo (2013–2020) * Monica Juma (2020–2021) *

Eugene Wamalwa Eugene Wamalwa is a Kenyan politician who was the former Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Defense. Prior to that before 29 September 2021, he was Cabinet Secretary of Devolution. He is also a former minister for Justice. He also served ...

(2021–2022) * Aden Duale (2022–2024)

Defence Council

The duties and responsibilities of the Defence Council are to oversee overall policy and supervise the KDF: * Secretary (Chairman) * Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF) * The three commanders of the KDF * MoD Principal Secretary

Notes and references

External links

MoD website
Defence Military of Kenya

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