Kenya slashed its spending by half to $13 million from $28 million a year earlier while Tanzania didn’t make purchases, according to a report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent resource on global security firm. Uganda did not spend on military hardware in 2016, but spent $18 million last year.
Uganda government’s lull in military hardware spend in 2016 could not continue as the country spent more than any other regional state last year, a new report shows.
The comeback from nil purchase to USD18 million worth of military hardware purchase in 2017 sharply contrasts with that of Kenya and Tanzania with the two economies cutting their purchase of military weapons last year.
Kenya slashed its spending by half to $13 million from $28 million a year earlier while Tanzania didn’t make purchases, according to a report released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), an independent resource on global security firm.
Tanzania’s non-action comes amid austerity push by President John Magufuli, who has cut back on expenditure deemed non-essential.
SPRI says the core work of the military expenditure project is to collect, analyse, process and publish data on military expenditure worldwide, and to monitor and analyse trends in military expenditure over time, looking at their economic, political and security drivers and their implications for global peace, security and development.
The Defence ministry said back then that it planned to procure classified equipment for capability consolidation, mainly in the area of communication, medical, and transport.
Uganda plans to spend UGX1.35 trillion on defence and security in the next financial year, according to the 2018/19 Budget Framework Paper.
Uganda’s military is one of the most active in the region with excursions in Somalia under the auspices of Amisom peacekeeping troops fighting Al Shabaab militia. The UPDF also maintains active presence in other African jurisdictions, notably eastern DR Congo–where Uganda almost has a permanent stay.
Other countries where the UPDF are active include South Sudan, and Equitorial Guinea.
In 2015, regional economies spent $3.2 billion on their military hardware in apparent bid to tackle the increase in terrorism threat. The spending was pushed up by South Sudan and Kenya, according to the independent resource on global security firm.
Juba spent $1.36 billion while Nairobi spent $954 million, up from $819 million in the previous year.
Last year, data from SIPRI showed that the region had recorded its biggest drop in military spending, pushed down by South Sudan which cut back its expenditure by more than 50 per cent in 2016.
Regional economies spent $2.5 billion on their military, a drop from the previous year of $3.1 billion, even as countries sought to modernise their weapons while also tackling the surging terrorism threat.
Kenya and South Sudan were top spenders. Kenya spent $908 million in 2016, up from $844 the previous year, while South Sudan saw its spending drop to $525 million, from $1.14 billion the previous year.
Tanzania also recorded an increase in its spending from $517 million the previous year to $561 million. Uganda recorded a rise to $398 million from $389 million, with Rwanda’s spending rising to $106 million from $104 million. Burundi’s spending, however, shot up from by $1 million to $65 million.
Africa’s overall spending fell by 1.3 per cent to $37.9 billion in 2016, the second year of decreasing military spending, after 12 consecutive years of increased military spending.