Kenya Army

Kenyan Army Jeshi la Ardhi la Kenya
Coat of arms of the Kenya Army
Active	1964–present
Country	Kenya
Type	Army
Part of	Kenya Defence Forces
Command Headquarters	Nairobi, Kenya
Equipment	186 main battle tanks (primarily Vickers), a few thousand military vehicles, 78 helicopters
Engagements	Second World War (as King's African Rifles) Shifta War (1963–67) Mount Elgon insurgency (2005-08) Operation Linda Nchi (2011-12)and African Union Mission in Somalia (2012-present)
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief	President Uhuru Kenyatta
Commander	Lt. Gen Robert Kibochi
Insignia
Flag

The Kenya Army is the land arm of the Kenya Defence Forces.

The origin of the present day Kenya Army may be traced from the King's African Rifles of British colonial forces. The reasons that necessitated the recruitment and formation of troops that preceded the King's African Rifles and in essence the Kenya Army are as many as they are varied. It will be difficult to analyse them without tracing the events that were unfolding in the East African region during the last quarter of the 19th Century. This period was characterised by active involvement of the British in the enforcement of abolition of slave trade in East Africa.

During the same period other European nations were also developing spheres of influence in Africa . In this rivalry the British established the Imperial British East Africa Company to take care of its interests. As these interests developed and expanded, there was need to create a more formidable force to safeguard these interests and expansion. It is out of this that the first indigenous land forces in Kenya can be traced.

In 1873 the Sultan of Zanzibar, Seyyid Barghash signed the final treaty to abolish slave trade in all his dominions. The task of enforcing the abolition was vested on the British Royal Navy Fleet under Admiral Freeman Tie.

In 1877 a Royal Navy Officer Lt Lloyd Matthews serving in the 'HMS London' formed a small force of 300 Zanzibaris for the purpose of combating slave trade. During the following year Lt Matthews was given leave to serve under the Sultan who appointed him Brigadier General in command of the newly established force. By 1880 the force had grown to 1300 men who were all Armed with Snider rifles donated to the Sultan by the British Government.

On 8 Sep 1888 the British Africa Company was granted royal Charter and was charged with the responsibility of administering British East Africa on the liens of a Crown colony.

In 1893 the three-year contract with the Indian contingent came to an end. During the same period the company was experiencing serious financial problems that had led to the abandonment of Uganda and Jubaland in fact, the company could barely police the coast. Then British Consul in Zanzibar at the time, Sir Athur Hardinge notified the foreign office of his intention of taking over East Africa from the company. The British government accepted. On 1 July 1895 a British protectorate was declared over all the areas previously administered by the company. The company troops were subsequently reorganized under Capt Hatch.