Military spending has always been a very sensitive matter and for a good reason. This is a national institution mandate to protect the country’s territorial integrity and its borders. Without this defence, the country would be vulnerable to external aggression, posing a grave threat to the people.
However, it is because its operations are often shrouded in secrecy that some unscrupulous individuals take advantage of the need to protect national secrets on the country’s potential to protect itself to profiteer from shady procurement. However, there has in recent years been greater scrutiny of military spending.
According to a Swedish research institute, Kenya’s military expenditure rose to Sh121.82 billion last year, from Sh116.19 billion in 2018. Though the country does not make public its military purchases, it is instructive that Parliament is mandated to scrutinise this. It is all very good for the country to modernise the military. But in a situation where the country hardly gets called upon to use the weapons, it is prudent to slow down on expenditure for public displays of might, but whose benefit to the people is not directly evident. In 2018, Kenya topped in military spending in the region, forking out Sh109.7 billion, the sixth largest in Africa.
The most potent threat to our nation today is terrorism. The military is already playing a key role here with troops inside Somalia, but its increasing involvement in the anti-terror campaign on our territory in laudable. The recent successes by a multi-agency team against terrorists have been bolstered by the involvement of the military. Also, more resources should be channelled into the national development tapping military capacity, expertise and experience to contribute meaningfully to the country in times of peace.
