The defense partnership between Kenya and France reached a new phase in mid-March when three French warships and more than 800 French military personnel docked at the Port of Mombasa during a mission focused on training and maritime security cooperation.
The deployment of the Aconit, a frigate, and Dixmude, an amphibious assault ship, aimed to strengthen the countries’ defense ties and secure vital shipping lanes in the Western Indian Ocean. The region faces threats such as human trafficking, illegal fishing, maritime terrorism, and various other forms of smuggling and trafficking. An offshore Finch patrol vessel also participated in the mission.
The visit included joint training exercises with the Kenya Defence Forces, particularly naval units responsible for safeguarding Kenya’s coastline. Kenyan and French forces partnered on real maritime operations. French personnel also offered advanced training to Kenyan naval officers and Sailors on coordination at sea and modern naval tactics. During the visit, Gen. Charles Muriu Kahariri, Kenyan chief of the Defence Forces, was conferred the Legion of Honour, the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit.
Observers noted that the port visit underscored Kenya’s ambitions to play a more prominent role in regional maritime governance. Nairobi has consistently advocated for collaborative maritime security efforts with neighboring Somalia and Tanzania, and with island nations Mauritius and Seychelles.
“By hosting foreign naval forces and participating in multinational operations, Kenya is reinforcing its status as a reliable security partner,” Kenyan community website Fatuma’s Voice reported. “The government has invested in modernizing its navy, upgrading port infrastructure, and expanding coastal surveillance systems. These efforts aim not only to protect national waters but also to contribute to stability across the wider Western Indian Ocean region.”
The visit was part of a five-month French operation to patrol the Indian and Pacific oceans.
“In the past weeks, we were engaged in the EU [European Union] Atalanta mission, as part of the task group which aims to tackle piracy off the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean,” Capt. Jocelyn Delrieu, commander of the French task force Jeanne d’Arc 2026, said in a report by The East African newspaper. “We will have the opportunity to enforce freedom of navigation through the South China Sea.”
Defense Pact Signed
On April 9, Kenya’s Parliament approved a defense cooperation agreement with France. The deal aims to improve Kenya’s defense capacity through access to French training, technology and expertise in maritime security, intelligence exchange, peacekeeping operations and humanitarian disaster relief, Bloomberg reported.
“For Kenya, closer ties with France offer an opportunity to diversify its military and diplomatic partnerships beyond its traditional reliance on the United Kingdom and the United States, while also strengthening economic relations,” wrote analysts with the Africa Eye news website.
The countries’ ties will further deepen when they co-host the Africa-France Partnerships for Innovation and Growth Summit,
scheduled for May 11 and 12 in Nairobi. According to the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs in Paris, the summit will be the first of its kind to be held in a non-francophone country. Kenyan President William Ruto and French President Emmanuel Macron are scheduled to attend, as are business leaders, young people, artists, and representatives of civil society, other African countries and the diaspora.
“It will be an opportunity to highlight the commitment of France, Kenya and other African countries to stepping up mutual investment, and to building and financing tangible solutions to common challenges,” Arnaud Suquet, French ambassador to Kenya, said in a report by Kenyan newspaper The Standard.