As Kenya today marks the 15th Edition of the Kenya Defence Forces Day, the nation pauses to do what great nations do best – to remember. Defence Cabinet Secretary Hon. Soipan Tuya, in leading tributes to our fallen soldiers and to serving and retired military personnel, captured the true meaning of this day.
She reminded Kenyans that we must honour our military for their courage, discipline and dedication, and never forget those who died defending the Republic and the families they left behind. Her message is a call to national conscience. It reminds us that the sacrifices of our fallen and the resilience of their families remain the most profound testament to what it takes to safeguard Kenya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
This reflection is important because in every enduring democracy, wearing the uniform is never merely a job. It is a privilege bestowed by the people and a sacred trust conferred by the Constitution. When a young Kenyan at the Kenya Military Academy in Lanet or at the Recruit Training School in Eldoret raises his right hand and takes the oath of allegiance, he does what few citizens ever do. He signs, in effect, a blank cheque to the Republic of Kenya, payable up to and including his life.
He agrees to be deployed away from family for months, to miss the birth of his child, to stand guard at 3 a.m. in Elwak or at the volatile borderlands, to sail in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean far from home, and to fly into weather and enemy fire that others flee. That is why we say that while many Kenyans give something to the nation, men and women in uniform give their all.
That ethos is distilled in the eternal creed taught to every Cadet Officer in Kenya and cherished in military academies around the world. It teaches that the nation comes first, the welfare and safety of the service members under your command comes next, and your own comfort, ease and personal safety comes last, always. This simple ordering of loyalties is what makes a twenty-two-year-old platoon commander lead his soldiers into danger in defence of a border post. It is what makes a Kenya Navy rating endure six months at sea, and what makes a Kenya Air Force pilot undertake a mission knowing the risks. When that creed is lived daily, the result is the peace Kenyans enjoy, the flag that flies proudly from Turkana to Kwale, and the territorial integrity that remains inviolate.
Nations that have understood this truth have institutionalized honour, not as sentiment, but as system. In the United States, the honour is embodied in a full Department of Veterans Affairs, in the GI Bill which educates generations of veterans, in VA hospitals, housing loan guarantees, and employment preference that ensures service does not end in destitution.
In the United Kingdom, the Armed Forces Covenant is now law, a legal promise that no service member, veteran or their family should face disadvantage because of service. In France, the Republic upholds the Devoir de Memoire, the Duty of Remembrance, and provides the Carte du Combattant and comprehensive pensions and medical care as a right, not a favour. These countries teach us that the best way to honour the uniform is to care for those who wore it long after the guns fall silent.
In this regard, Kenya has made commendable strides and credit must go to the Government of the day for reforms that have brought us closer to international best practice. For decades, our veterans faded into obscurity after retirement, with no legal framework to recognize them. The enactment of the Veterans Bill has changed that fundamentally. For the first time, Kenya has a legal identity for veterans, a framework for welfare, and an institution that affirms that service does not end at the gate of the barracks.
Equally transformative has been the Defence Forces Housing Programme. From the modernization of barracks in Kahawa, Lanet, Mombasa and Isiolo to mortgage and home ownership schemes, the government has understood that a soldier who protects the nation should not return to worry about where his children will sleep. The expansion of medical care has been equally significant. Through the Defence Forces Medical Insurance Scheme, the upgrade of Level Four hospitals in all major garrisons, and the elevation of the Defence Forces Memorial Hospital into a world-class referral facility, we now care more comprehensively for the serving, the wounded, and their families.
Critically, and unlike many countries where veterans struggle for years, Kenya today pays pensions for military retirees on time. This is a significant achievement that must be recognized. It restores dignity in retirement and assures those still serving that the Republic will keep its promise when their active service ends. It is a practice that mirrors the best in the world and demonstrates a government that values its social contract with its defenders.
Furthermore, Kenya has wisely avoided creating parallel bureaucracies for veteran services. We do not need a new one-stop veterans service centre because we already have structures in place that provide these services effectively in each county through the veterans associations and through DEFOCA, the Defence Forces Old Comrades Association. These associations, present across the nation, provide the camaraderie, welfare linkage, mentorship, and grassroots support that veterans need. Strengthening DEFOCA and the county veterans associations, rather than duplicating them, is the Kenyan model and it works.
As we celebrate this 15th anniversary of KDF Day, born from the historic decision to enter Somalia under Operation Linda Nchi in 2011, we must consolidate these gains and look to the future. We should create a National Veterans Employment and Entrepreneurship Fund. Borrowing from the United States Small Business Administration’s Veterans Advantage programme, we should provide low-interest capital, business incubation and preferential access to government procurement for veteran-owned enterprises. The discipline, leadership and resilience learned in uniform are exactly what the private sector needs. We should also institute a National Education Guarantee for the children of our fallen heroes. In the United States and the United Kingdom, the children of those who died in service receive automatic scholarships to university. Kenya should do no less. If a father gave his life for the Republic, the Republic should educate his child. And we must continue to teach service in our schools, so that every child knows that our sovereignty is not an accident of geography, but the product of daily sacrifice.
On this KDF Day, let us therefore heed CS Tuya’s call. Let us honour our men and women in uniform not just with parades and speeches, but with policy, resources and genuine gratitude. To our fallen soldiers, whose names are etched on war memorials that exist in all KDF camps across the nation and in our hearts, we say you are not forgotten. Your sacrifice lives in the very existence of Kenya as a free nation. To our serving soldiers, sailors and airmen and women, we say we see your sacrifice, we honour your discipline, and we thank you for standing guard while we sleep. To our veterans, we say welcome home, the nation you served owes you more than words.
For as long as Kenya exists, the flag will fly because men and women in uniform stand watch. Others may give some, but they give their all. And that is why Kenya must always honour them.
The writer is a national defence and security consultant.
