Until 1963, Kenya's defense was the responsibility of the UK. On 10 December 1963, the withdrawal of British armed forces from Kenya was completed.
In 2002 Kenyan armed forces had active personnel of 24,400. The army of 20,000 was equipped with 78 main battle tanks. The navy had 1,400 personnel with four patrol and coastal combatants. The air force had 3,000 personnel, 29 combat aircraft, and 34 armed helicopters. The 5,000-member national police has general service, air, and naval paramilitary units. Kenya contributes personnel to seven international peacekeeping missions, mainly in other African nations. In 2001, Kenya spent $179.2 million on defense or 1.8% of GDP.