NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya received Sh958 million in reimbursements for its troops in Somalia during the financial year ending June 2025, marking a dramatic recovery after last year’s collapse but still well below historic peaks.
Treasury data shows the inflows were more than 11 times the Sh86 million collected in 2023/24, the lowest in recent memory.
However, the rebound remains a fraction of the billions earned in earlier years when African Union (AU) funding was more predictable.
Kenya secured Sh6.98 billion in 2022/23 and Sh3.6 billion in 2021/22. The all-time high was Sh8.9 billion in 2020/21, nearly double the Sh4.6 billion recorded in 2019/20.
The reimbursements, provided by the AU and its partners — mainly the European Union (EU) and United Nations (UN) — cover operational costs for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Somalia.
Kenya first deployed its troops in 2011 under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which later transitioned into the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) in 2022.
On June 30, 2025, ATMIS formally wound down, giving way to the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
The new mission, whose mandate runs until December 2029, is designed to help Somalia degrade Al-Shabaab, stabilise liberated areas, and gradually transfer security responsibilities to Somali forces.
“AUSSOM officially began operations on July 1, 2025,” the Ministry of Defence said in a July 13 statement.
Despite the transition, questions linger over long-term financing. In May, the UN Security Council declined to activate a mechanism under Resolution 2719 (2023) that would have allowed it to shoulder up to 75 per cent of costs for AU-led peacekeeping operations.
Without that backing, AUSSOM’s financial base remains fragile.
The EU, which has contributed nearly €2.7 billion (about Sh409 billion) since 2007, has also signaled it may scale back support, reflecting shifting global priorities.
Analysts warn that without secure funding, both the mission’s stability and Kenya’s ability to sustain its deployment could face fresh challenges.
