US counter-terrorism aid increasing since 2013
What you need to know:
- This year the US government will allocate to Kenya more than double the amount it gave the country last year for counterterrorism.
- The majority of the US military aid to Kenya this year aims to enhance Kenya's armed forces participating in the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).
In the face of rising terrorism attacks in Kenya the United States government aid to Kenya’s police and military has been on a steady rise for the last three years, more than doubling this year.
A year after the launch of the operation, US aid to the military and police fell by 40 per cent compared to 2011 levels, from Sh2.5 billion to Ksh1.5 billion. The folllowing year, the amount more than doubled, and has maintained an upward trend since then, with the 2014 allocation being 73 per cent higher than the 2009 amount.
From the Sh10 billion to counterterrorism aid to Kenya, 95 per cent is set to go to the military.
This year the US government will allocate to Kenya more than double the amount it gave the country last year for counterterrorism.
In May the US Secretary of State John Kerry announced that the US would allocate Ksh10billion in counterterrorism assistance to Kenya this year.
The amount is equivalent to around 4.4 per cent of the government’s total security allocation of Sh223.9 billion this financial year.
From 2010 to 2014 the US Government earmarked Sh14 billion to the Kenyan military and police, which translates to an average of Ksh2.8 billion annually.
According to the Security Assistance Monitor, citizen’s guide to US security and defense assistance, the US is putting most of its support behind the Kenyan military for the fight against Al-Shabaab this year.
From the Sh10 billion to counterterrorism aid to Kenya, 95 per cent is set to go to the military.
The majority of the US military aid to Kenya this year aims to enhance Kenya's armed forces participating in the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).
