EU hands over European Peace Facility equipment to the Kenya Defence Forces
The handover marks a concrete milestone in EU-Kenya cooperation on security and defence in the year the two partners celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations.
As we celebrate EU and Kenya’s 50 years of partnership, today we handed over the first equipment deliveries of the EUR 20 M non-lethal assistance measure financed by the European Peace Facility. This is the EU-Kenya strategic dialogue in action, and a direct sign of how far our security and defence cooperation has come. A safer Kenya means a safer region, and a safe world.
EEAS Acting Managing Director for Peace, Security and Defence, Mr. Maciej Stadejek
A partnership for peace and stability
Kenya is a pillar of peace and stability in the Horn of Africa and the wider Western Indian Ocean. Through peacekeeping, mediation and counter-terrorism efforts, it contributes to security well beyond its borders. The EU shares a strong interest in a stable and secure region, and in the safety of the people who live in it. This is why the EU and Kenya work together on security and defence, with shared interests, values, and undertake joint action to address common threats.
European Union, 2026
The EU-Kenya Security and Defence Dialogue: delivering concrete impact
The Security and Defence Dialogue sits within the EU-Kenya Strategic Dialogue, launched in 2021 and built around political and security cooperation, development cooperation through Global Gateway, and trade and investment. Under the Dialogue, the EU and Kenya work together to strengthen Kenya’s security institutions, including the military, and to boost the country’s capacity to safeguard its borders and population. The 5th EU-Kenya Security & Defence Dialogue took place in Nairobi on the 3rd of November 2026, and focused on strengthening cooperation in the fields of counterterrorism, maritime security, and cyberspace. Support under the European Peace Facility (EPF) is one of the key deliverables under the EU-Kenya Security and Defence Dialogues. By turning commitments into equipment on the ground, the EU shows that it is a reliable security partner for Kenya.
What the EPF assistance measure delivers
Kenya Defence Forces, 2026
In June 2024, the Council of the EU adopted the first-ever EPF assistance measure in support of the KDF, worth €20 million (approximately KSh 3 billion). It aims to enhance the KDF’s operational capabilities to protect Kenya’s territorial integrity and its civilian population, and to help secure border areas, notably along the border with Somalia, and the maritime domain. The equipment, which includes diving and search-and-rescue equipment, will strengthen the Kenya Navy’s ability to secure Kenya’s territorial waters, protect maritime shipping lanes and protect the blue economy on which coastal communities depend. The assistance measure will also support other units from the Kenyan Defence Forces.
For the EU, regional security is international security. Kenya’s Navy, bolstered by EPF support and operating with respect for international law, helps protect maritime trade routes against piracy, trafficking and terrorism. That keeps fishermen safer at sea and goods and food flowing through Mombasa to Kenya and its neighbours. A safer Kenya means a safer region and a safer world.
The European Union brings its global reach, its expertise, and its enduring commitments to African-led solutions to African security challenges. Together, these strengths make our cooperation both complementary and mutually reinforcing.
Major General Paul Owuor Otieno, Commander Kenya Navy
This cooperation rests on a shared commitment to multilateralism and a rules-based international order. Kenya is host to the United Nations in Nairobi and a long-standing contributor to peace support operations in Somalia, which the EPF also support financially. Together, Kenya and the EU uphold the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and regional frameworks such as the Djibouti Code of Conduct against piracy and maritime crime.
50 years of EU-Kenya partnership
The EU and Kenya mark 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2026. Since the EU opened its doors in Nairobi in 1976, the relationship has grown from cooperation focused on development into a partnership of equals, grounded in shared values, mutual interests and joint responsibility in addressing regional and global challenges. Accelerating EU-Kenya security and defence cooperation, notably through the EPF, highlight our deepening trust and ability to further joint interests.