Kenya Air Force - History
The Kenya Air Force was established on 01 June 1964 by an act of parliament, the Armed Forces Act Cap 199. Prior to this, the Kenya Air Force has a long history that dates back to 1st August 1940 when Eastleigh airfield was opened for full operation during World War II by the Royal Air Force (RAF). Other RAF stations that were opened at that time included RAF Kisumu, RAF Thika and RAF Mombasa. All these RAF stations were part of the larger Air Headquarters, East Africa (Nairobi) that controlled the territories of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and all the western Indian Ocean islands used for the war effort by the RAF.
After the war, RAF Easleigh doubled up as an important transit airfield for both military and civilian commercial flights. RAF Kisumu, RAF Thika and RAF Mombasa were closed due to economic pressure and lack of relevance. RAF Eastleigh became a major combat and air logistic base for the colonial power which controlled the three East African countries. From RAF Eastleigh, extensive aerial mapping of the East African region was conducted.
During the agitation for independence in the early 1950s, the station became a major staging ground for air offensives against the Mau Mau insurgents. The air offensives ended in 1955 and the bombers returned to the Middle East and the UK. Thereafter rebuilding and restructuring of RAF Eastleigh commenced with the acquisition of new aircraft- the Beverlys and the Venoms.
The air force has a long history of aiding the civil power during times of national emergencies. During the 1961-62 large-scale famine that had hit Kenya due to excessive rainfall and nationwide flooding, the RAF Eastleigh was used to provide relief to the affected population. The No 21 squadron, equipped with four Beverly transport aircraft and assisted by four Dakotas from RAF Rhodesia, delivered 5 million lbs of food and medicine to the affected. Massive evacuations were also done in the Tana basin. In 1963, RAF Eastleigh supported the Government of the day against Somali separatists who had wanted to secede to Somalia , a situation aggravated by the 1961-62 floods and famine.
Shortlty after attaining independence on 12 December 1963, the Kenya Government sought assistance from Britain to form the Kenya Air Force. Subsequently on 19 May 1964, Group Capt Ian Sargenson was seconded to the RAF Eastleigh and appointed Commander designate. RAF Eastleigh was renamed KAF Eastleigh and so did the motto change from ‘Shupavu na Thabiti ‘ to ‘Twatumika Tukiwa Angani’
On 1st June 1964 the Armed Forces Act Cap 199 was enacted paving way for the formation of the Kenya Air Force with the primary mission of ‘Defence of the Kenya Airspace during war and maintenance of sovereignty of that airspace at all times’. The act also gave two secondary missions to the Kenya Air Force, namely, ‘To Support its sister services in pursuance of national objectives and to aid the civil authority during periods of national calamities, national undertakings and any other activity that may be specified’. Subsequently on the same day, Group Capt Ian Sargenson Stockwell was appointed the first Kenya Air Force Commander.
The new government was keen on rapid Africanisation and rebuilding of the newly formed Kenya Air Force. Recruitment of qualified young Kenyans and subsequent training in the UK in flying, engineering, supplies and general management was essential for capacity building. To cater for the increased requirement for indigenous pilots, a flying training unit was established at Eastleigh with a planned output of 10 pilots per annum. The unit was equipped with six Chipmunk and 3 Beaver aircraft for training purposes.
In tandem with the flying training unit for aircrew, a ground-training unit was established to train technical manpower for the expanding Air Force. 80 technicians were produced annually. The expansion and modernization programme peaked up in the 1965/6 period when additional squadrons were created following the acquisition of 8 Beavers and 4 Caribou aircraft.
The first indigenous Kenya Air Force pilots graduated from the flying school on 18 February 1965 in a ceremony attended by HE the President, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. Making history on that day were: James Mukirae, David Kanagi, Fredrick Omondi, Hannington Apudo and Dedan Gichuru who later became the first indigenous KAF commander. Since then, the school has remained the predominant producer of pilots for the Kenya Air Force. Click here for details on Flying Training School.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
