Implications of East-West Great Power Competition on Kenya’s Defense and Security Policy (2003 – 2022)

This study sought to investigate the implications of East-West Great Power Competition on Kenya’s defense and security policy between 2003 and 2022. The first section introduces the nature of East-West strategic competition and the second section analyses the implications of East-West strategic competition on Kenya defense and security policies. Four key areas of Kenya’s Defense Policies are analyzed. These are: firstly, policies on military assistance to Kenya, secondly, Kenya’s peace support operation policies, thirdly, Kenya’s policies on military and security allies and fourthly, Kenya’s counter-terrorism policies. The study is anchored on realism and the rational actor model of international relations. Review of related literature was done using various search engines utilizing the keywords of the study. A mixed research design and sampling techniques were used to generate a sample of eighty study participants from a target population that included policy makers in the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Non-governmental organizations, National Government Officials, and international relations experts. The main methods for gathering data were questionnaires and interviews. This study revealed that, the implications of East-West Strategic competition on Kenya’s Défense policy include rationality in decision making in regards to military assistance the country receives, a conscious choice of possible trading partners during procurement and acquisition of military equipment and arms, selective entry and signing of military pacts on military training and technology transfers. Moreover, the Kenya defense policy is non-aligned in regards to choice of allies. The defense policy further seeks to maintain traditional allies in the West while also courting of new allies in the East. Finally, the defense policy is assertive in fostering international peace and security as well in counter violent extremism. This study recommends Kenya defense policy strategist to maintain the status quo of balancing the East and the West so as to remain neutral in the wake revamped East West rivalry in the Horn and Eastern African region.