Kenya has begun receiving military helicopters supplied by the United States as part of the gifts presented to the country during President William Ruto’s recent official visit.
Two of the eight UH-1 ‘Hueys’ helicopters that the government is scheduled to get arrived two weeks ago.
They are currently being constructed at Nairobi’s Embakasi Garrison hangar by a trained team of US Air Force technicians, as well as experts from the manufacturing business and the Kenyan Air Force.
According to sources acquainted with the operations, the helicopters will go through extensive testing before being handed over officially later this year.
The remaining six Hueys will ship next month.
Following President William Ruto’s visit to the United States, it was announced that the Kenya Defence Forces will receive 16 new helicopters.
According to the White House, the acquisition include eight Hueys for regional peace and security operations and eight MD-500s for peacekeeping missions.
“The delivery of the 16 helicopters marks a significant milestone in U.S-Kenya defense cooperation. The Hueys will enhance Kenya’s regional security capabilities, while the MD-500s will support peacekeeping missions,” the White House said.
Kenya will also receive approximately 150 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles from the U.S. Excess Defense Article stocks which are projected to arrive in Kenya in September 2024.
The two nations have pledged to deepen their information-sharing efforts in a bid to fortify collaboration on counterterrorism
Kenya is also in the process of joining Operation Gallant Phoenix, a program facilitating multinational cooperation in sharing terrorist-related information.
“Additionally, Kenya is in the process of joining Operation Gallant Phoenix, a program that advances multinational collaboration and sharing of terrorist information to build mutual capacity to collect and use battlefield evidence in civilian criminal justice proceedings in a multiagency, multinational setting. These initiatives should help both countries better protect our borders and our citizens from terrorist actors.”
