The Commander Kenya Navy, Major General Paul Otieno, on 3 February 2026 flagged off Exercise JITEGEMEE XXVII at the Kenya Navy Fleet, Mkunguni Jetty, Mombasa. The deployment, undertaken onboard Kenya Navy Ship (KNS) JASIRI and KNS SHUPAVU, continues the Navy’s longstanding tradition of preparing Junior Officers Under Training through rigorous seagoing evolutions. These evolutions reinforce the theoretical and simulation-based instruction received at the Kenya Naval Training College.
Addressing officers and crew during the flag-off ceremony, the Commander Kenya Navy noted that the Kenya Navy remains entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding Kenya’s territorial waters, defending national maritime interests, and contributing to regional maritime security and cooperation. He emphasized that the exercise would also promote naval diplomacy, reminding the crew that they serve as ambassadors of the Service even while engaged in training.
“The Kenya Navy remains entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding our waters, defending our maritime interests and contributing to regional maritime security and cooperation. In executing this exercise, you will also be advancing naval diplomacy. Your conduct, discipline and professionalism will reflect directly on the Kenya Navy and the Kenya Defence Forces as a whole. You are ambassadors of our Service even while engaged in training,” he said.
Exercise JITEGEMEE XXVII remains central to shaping competent divisional officers capable of executing complex maritime operations in support of national and regional security objectives. During the deployment, the participating ships and crew will also take part in Exercise Cutlass Express 2026 while in Seychelles, further strengthening Kenya’s operational integration within the regional maritime security framework.
As the Kenya Defence Forces continues to enhance its capability and capacity through structured training and operational exposure, the Kenya Navy remains steadfast in its commitment to cooperative security within the Western Indian Ocean. In recognition of the evolving maritime threat environment, the Kenya Navy has conceptualized and initiated a regional maritime security operation and will lead and commit a surface vessel to the inaugural multinational Operation Bahari Moja.
This Kenya-led initiative brings together the Seychelles Coast Guard, Seychelles Air Force, Mauritius National Coast Guard and Madagascar Coast Guard across the expansive Western Indian Ocean under the Safe Seas Programme, coordinated by the Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) with information support from the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC).
Through shared track management, coordinated air-surface tasking and fused maritime domain awareness, the operation will enhance collective efforts to deter narcotics trafficking, Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing, piracy and irregular migration, while safeguarding the Blue Economy and reinforcing regional security cooperation. The operation’s theme, “One Sea,” underscores the unified regional resolve to protect shared waters, secure the Blue Economy and deny transnational organized criminal networks the freedom to exploit the vast maritime domain.
As Chairperson of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment Working Group 3, Kenya continues to demonstrate leadership by operationalizing regional cooperation mechanisms and showcasing its ability to secure the maritime commons using available resources, strengthened through collaboration with like-minded states. This deployment and the forthcoming operation reaffirm the Kenya Defence Forces’ unwavering commitment to regional stability, maritime security and the sustainable use of the Western Indian Ocean.
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