– A report released on Monday, February 22 has said that Kenya has bought a drone that will cost KSh 1 billion, the drone will be due in Kenya on September 2016
– The drone is one the most well used aircraft by the US military especially the marines and has been used in combat surveillance in Iraq and Afghanistan
The Kenyan government is buying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) popularly referred to as a drone in its fight against terror group al-Shabaab from the United States government.
The details of the purchase of the state of the art equipment that will cost the government KSh 1 billion were leaked by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in a report released on Monday, February 22.
The unmanned aircraft, named ScanEagle, will enable Kenyan security forces to conduct real-time surveillance on Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorists alongside other major crime scenes inside Kenya’s borders.
“ScanEagle was ordered by the Kenyan government at a cost of $9.86 million (KSh1 billion),” said SIPRI military expenditure programme director Samuel Perlo-Freeman.
The drone will be used in surveillance and reconnaissance duties by KDF especially in Somalia as it can gather accurate information on movements and positions of al-Shabaab fighters as well as providing photos of militia facilities.
The drone will arrive in Kenya on September and will start operations immediately after being commissioned by the president.
KDF spokesman Colonel David Obonyo Wednesday, February 24 declined to comment on the purchase of the aircraft and insisted that government purchase of military equipment is confidential as its sensitive.
The drone is manufactured by Isintu a subsidiary of Boeing and has been used by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Below are photos of the ScanEagle drone.
The ScanEagle drone in its catapult launcher used by US marines in Iraq
Image: wikipedia
Image: wikipedia
ScanEagle drone in flight
Image: defenseindustrydaily
Image: defenseindustrydaily
President Uhuru Kenyatta, on Monday, February 1, 2016 commissioned 30 police armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to be used in volatile areas in the country.
“The purchase of the APCs is a very important milestone as it will go a long way in securing the frontier areas of our country,” he said during an event at the GSU headquarters in Ruaraka.Most of the vehicles will be used along the Kenya-Somalia border where police officers have been attacked in several occasions by the al-Shabaab militants.
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