Kenya Defence Forces must explore collaborative opportunities with Indian companies, says Secretary (Defence Production) at 3rd India-Kenya Defence Exhibition & Seminar

Secretary (Defence Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar has urged the Kenya Defence Forces to explore collaborative opportunities with Indian companies. He addressed the third India-Kenya Defence Exhibition & Seminar in Nairobi during his three-day visit to Kenya that concluded on January 21, 2026. The Secretary (DP) highlighted the robust capabilities of the Indian defence industrial ecosystem and emphasised on the need to build upon the strong bilateral relations and long-standing friendship built on mutual respect, trust & cooperation.

The seminar, which was organised on 19 January, served as a high-level platform for fostering industrial collaboration, co-development, and capacity building between the two nations. The exhibition featured 21 Indian defence companies showcasing specialized product profiles across several domains, including Shipbuilding, Armoured and Military vehicles, UAVs, Missile Systems, Cyber Security, Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives, Optical devices, and Protection systems etc.

The event was graced by Cabinet Secretary for Defence Ms Soipan Tuya; Vice Chief of Kenya Defence Lt Gen John M Omenda; the Commanders of Army, DNSI and more than 50 senior officers from the defence ministry of Kenya. In her keynote address, the Cabinet Secretary for Defence noted that this third iteration of the exhibition builds upon the successful foundations laid in November 2022 and January 2024.

During his visit, the Secretary (Defence Production) also held meetings with Principal Secretary, MoD Kenya Mr Patrick Mariru and Vice Chief of Defence Staff, Kenya Lt Gen John M. Omenda to discuss various areas of defence cooperation and further strengthen the ties. During the meeting with Mr Patrick Mariru, both sides noted the encouraging participation of Indian defence companies at the India-Kenya Defence Expo and Seminar across key defence domains including shipbuilding and naval systems, land systems, UAVs, missile systems, weapons, ammunition and explosives, armoured and military vehicles, optical devices, protection systems, and cyber security. It was also noted that the Kenya Defence Forces will hold separate meetings with participating Indian industries.

Discussions with Lt Gen John M Omenda focused on further strengthening bilateral defence cooperation. Deliberations were held on defence industrial partnerships, capacity building, training, marine sustainment, and long-term cooperation in defence exports and maintenance support.

Shri Sanjeev Kumar also visited Kenya Shipyard Ltd, Mombasa and pressed for an early implementation of MoU signed between Kenya Shipyard Ltd and Goa Shipyard Ltd.

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VK/Savvy