| Unit Name: | Kenyan Navy |
| Native Name: | Swahili: Jeshi la Wanamaji |
| Type: | Navy |
| Command Structure: | Kenya Defence Forces |
| Garrison: | Mombasa, Kenya |
| Garrison Label: | Command Headquarters |
| Motto: | Swahili: Ujasiri Baharini |
| Battles: | Operation Linda Nchi (2011-12) |
| Commander1: | President Dr. William Samoei Ruto |
| Commander1 Label: | Commander-in-Chief |
| Commander2: | Major General Paul Owuor Otieno |
| Commander2 Label: | Commander, Kenya Navy |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Naval ensign |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | Presidential color |
The Kenya Navy is the naval branch of the Kenya Defence Forces. It is headquartered in Mombasa.
Kenya Navy has two major bases for its fleet with it being headquartered in Mtongwe Naval Base, Mombasa and Manda Bay (part of Lamu Archipelago) being the second naval base.[1] The navy also operates naval stations in Shimoni, Msambweni, Malindi and Kilifi. The Kenya Navy fleet is organized into two fighting squadrons and a logistical support squadron, namely the pioneer 66 Squadron, the 76 Squadron and the 86 Squadron all supported by a Special Operations Squadron, the Fleet Maintenance Unit and a newly formed elite Marine Ranger Regiment.
As Great Britain wound down her colonial control in East Africa, the Royal East African Navy (REAN) was established in 1953, covering Kenya Colony, Tanganyika and Zanzibar.[2] Following the disbanding of the REAN in 1962, the East African Railways and Harbours Corporation assumed control of naval operations in the former colonies until the independent states were ready to establish their own navies.[3] The Kenyan Navy was established on 12 December 1964, exactly one year after Kenya gained independence.
In 1976, the Second Squadron, made up of the missile boats KNS Madaraka, KNS Jamhuri and KNS Harambee left Portsmouth to sail to Kenya, arriving later that year. In late August 1976, during the delivery voyage, the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi was approached to request assistance for two of the patrol boats, off the Somali coast and not having "enough fuel to reach Mombasa."In 1972, Major JCJ Kimaro was promoted to lieutenant colonel by President Jomo Kenyatta and appointed as the first commander of the Kenyan Navy. He died in a road accident in 1978 and Major General Eliud Mbilu took over command until his retirement in 1988 when Brigadier Joseph Kibwana was promoted to major general.
In 2010 it was reported that the United States Navy Naval Special Warfare Group 4 was assisting the creation of a new Kenyan Special Boat Unit within the Kenya Navy.[4]
On 4 September 2012 the Kenyan Navy shelled the Somali city of Kismayo. This was part of an African Union offensive to capture the city from al-Shabab fighters during the War in Somalia. The harbour was shelled twice and the airport three times. According to a UN report the export of charcoal through Kismayo is a major source of income for al-Shabab.[5]
| Name | Term of office | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official Portrait | Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
| 1 | Commander E. M. C. Walker | 10 Dec 1964 | 31 Jul 1967 | |||
| 2 | Commander Anthony Allen Pearse | 1 Aug 1967 | 1 Oct 1969 | |||
| 3 | Commander W. A. E. Hall | 2 Oct 1969 | 31 Oct 1972 | |||
| 4 | Lieutenant colonel James Collins J. Kimaro | 1 Nov 1972 | 11 Feb 1978 | |||
| 5 | Major General Eliud Simon Mbilu | 12 Feb 1978 | 1 Apr 1988 | |||
| 6 | Major General Joseph Raymond Edward Kibwana | 2 Apr 1988 | 1 May 1998 | |||
| 7 | Major General Aboud Abdalla Rafrouf | 2 May 1998 | 30 Nov 2001 | |||
| 8 | Major General Pastor Omudho Awitta, | 1 Dec 2001 | 26 Jul 2006 | |||
| 9 | Major General Samson Jefwa Mwathethe, | 27 Jul 2006 | 12 Jul 2011 | |||
| 10 | Major General Ngewa Mukala, | 13 Jul 2011 | 10 Aug 2015 | |||
| 11 | Major General Levi Franklin Mghalu, | 11 Aug 2015 | 11 May 2020 | |||
| 12 | Major General Jimson Longiro Mutai, | 12 May 2020 | 8 March2024 | |||
| 13 | Major generalThomas Njoroge Nganga EBS HSC ‘ndu’ ‘psc'(USA) | 8 March2024 | 02 May 2024 | 56 days | ||
| 14 | Major General Paul Owuor Otieno EBS ‘ndc’(K) ‘psc'(K) | 02 May 2024 | incumbent | |||
Built as a Jasiri Class oceanographic survey vessel at a cost of Sh4.1 billion.[6] Given to Euromarine, a company associated with Anura Pereira, the tender was awarded irregularly, as part of the Anglo-Leasing scandal. Military analysts say a similar vessel could have been built for Sh1.8 billion.[7] Later fitted with armament at the navy's Mkunguni dockyard. Commissioned into the navy on 29 August 2012. It currently is the largest vessel in the fleet. It is 85 meters long, displaces 1400 tonnes, and has a maximum crew of 81.[6]
Former French P400 class patrol vessel La Rieuse. Donated by France for anti-piracy patrols .[8]
Built to civilian standards in 1997 and entered service in 1997. Armed with a 76mm and a 30mm gun in Kenya.
Built by Vosper Thornycroft, these are similar to the Omani Province class, and were delivered in 1987. Armed with 4 Otomat SSM, 1 76 mm OTO DP, 1 dual 30 mm AA, 2 20 mm machine guns From March 2009 to July 2011 these ships underwent an extensive refit at Fincantieri's Muggiano shipyard in northern Italy, during which their surface-to-surface missile (SSM) systems were removed, drastically reducing the vessels to an OPV configuration.[10] Ships of this class are 57 meters long, displace 450 tonnes and have a crew of 45.[6]
Delivered from 1974–1976 (Mamba was delivered in 1976) and built by Brooke Marine along with three others of the class.[11] KNS Mamba has a non-functioning missile system and is currently used as an OPV. Remainder of the class decommissioned[12] [13] and placed in reserve status.[14] Formerly armed with 4 Gabriel SSM, 1 dual 30 mm AA.[14]
Built by Construnaves-CEN, Gondan, Spain and delivered in December 1993 from Spain and entered service in 1994.[15] [12] Used for logistics.[14] These ships are unarmed and used for amphibious warfare.
Built by SAFE Boats International and donated by the USA in 2006 to reduce gun and drug running.[12]
These ex-Spanish Navy patrol boats were built by ARESA (Arenys del Mar, Barcelona) from 1978 to 1982 and procured by Kenya in 1995. Each is 12m long, with a top speed of 16kts, and armed with a 12.7mm machine gun.[12]
Two built by Cowes in 1998. Each can carry 136 passengers.[12]
Built by James Lamont, Port Glasgow in 1969 for Mombasa Port Authority and transferred to the navy in 1983.
Four 10 Meter Metal Shark RHIBs powered by twin 300 horsepower Yamaha outboard engines. Donated by US Navy in June 2015.
The Kenya navy has replaced many older vessels from the navy's early years, mostly transfers from the Royal East African Navy via the Royal Navy.
Donated by the Royal Navy in 1964 and used as a training vessel. It was formerly known HMS Aberford.[18] It was sold for scrap in 1971.
Training craft was retired in 2000.
These boats were delivered from Britain in 1966. These ships were built by Vosper Thornycroft. KNS Simba was decommissioned in 1997.[19]
These missile boats were delivered in 1976 along with KNS Mamba, and were built by Brooke Marine.[11] KNS Madaraka was decommissioned in 2000, and KNS Jamhuri and KNS Harambee in 2002.[12] [13]
The Kenya Navy at the turn of the 21st Century took keen interest at developing specialized units within its ranks to handle emerging threats such as terrorism, drug running and piracy. This led to the establishment of a Special Operations Squadron (SOS) to provide an entity similar to the Army Special Operations Brigade (Kenya), that is to provide a unified command structure for its various special units.
The Special Boat Unit (SBU) was built up with assistance from the U.S. Navy through its Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) personnel in 2010 and continues to enjoy joint training exercises with the U.S. military.[20] It is tasked with predominantly patrolling the northern coastline near the Somali border at Kiunga and is based at the revamped Manda Naval Base near Lamu. They are known to possess Defender-Class response boats for rapid high seas interdictions and patrols. The Clearance Diving Unit (CDU) formerly known as the Ships Diving Section is an older unit that trains combat divers for the navy. Members are trained in deep sea diving, beach surveying, explosive ordnance disposal and parachute dropping.[21] They are thought to be headquartered at the main naval base in Mtongwe, Mombasa. The Kenya Navy has also taken steps in developing a naval infantry force to supplement the work of these special units,[22] it is assumed that this new force will be modelled along the lines of other naval marines.
See main article: Military ranks of Kenya. The names of ranks in the Kenya Navy are army-style, rather than traditional Royal Navy-derived usage as in the remainder of the Commonwealth.
The rank insignia of commissioned officers.
The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.