GDAMS Nairobi 2015: Military Spending Report Released at Freedom Corner 13 April

COALITION FOR CONSTITUTION IMPLEMENTATION

IN CONJUNCTION WITH

GLOBAL CAMPAIGN OF MILITARY SPENDING (GCOMS) – KENYA

“I WOULD PLANT TREES TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE”

                                     

Acknowledgement

This survey report; “I Would Plant Trees to Combat Climate Change” would not have been a success without field data collection and extensive research that was done by the planning team composed of Hilda Musimbi, Anthony Kirika and David Otieno. We acknowledge with humility their contribution as they spent their time and energy in field data collection and also literature review of various documents that came up with national, regional, continental and global military expenditure for select countries.
We also thank the International Steering Committee (ISC) of the Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) specifically Colin Archer for their contribution especially in suggesting various links including SIPRI that enabled the local planning team to get various military spending for different countries that has been studies.
We can’t forget to acknowledge one of the respondents whose response provided the title of this survey report “I Would Plant Trees to Combat Climate Change”. The title was chosen from a response that was got from one of the respondents who said that if he was to be given the money spent on military, he would plant trees to combat climate change.
Finally we thank all the respondents who spared their time to provide information during field data collection. Without them, this process would have not been a success.
David Calleb Otieno
Convener CCI Kenya & GCOMS Kenya

Abstract

Today as the world mark GDAMS 2015, the total global military expenditure stands at USD1.75trn and activists around the globe today are gathering at different places holding different activities and shall be arguing that if a small fraction of the global military spending would be spent differently, then it would go a long way to resolving the real and very grave challenges facing our planet including inequitable distribution of resources and resource related conflicts.
In 2013/2014 Africa, had the largest relative military rise than any other region in the world at 8.3% reaching a spending of USD44.9bn. Algeria for the first time exceeded USD10bn while at the same time Angola overtook South Africa as largest spender in the SADC region. Increases in Algeria and Angola are attributed to high oil revenues.
At the Global arena, there has been a modest fall from the previous years. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, the top 10 global spenders in 2013 in that order are, USA (significant decrease since 2012), China (significant increase), Russia (moderate increase), Saudi Arabia (large increase), France (small decrease), UK (small decrease), Germany (No change), Japan (approximately No change), India (approximately No change) and South Korea (small increase).
The GDAMS Nairobi 2015 was preceded by a Survey that included street data collection and literature review. The street data collection was aimed at “assessing views of members of public on military expenditure and their preferred spending areas”. Those sampled indicated that there are rampant problems related to environment degradation, pollution, lack of social services at the grassroots and rampant insecurity including terror attacks which for the first time has targeted Kenyans even in rural and slum areas.
Those sampled were unanimous that huge global security sector spending does not translate to safety both globally and locally as there has been an increase of cases of insecurity especially terror related attacks that has led to lose of lives globally. It was felt that bulk of the money goes to purchase of military hardware which does not necessarily translate to safety. Others felt that huge spending could also be attributed to regional arms race which makes states arming against imaginary enemies.
60% of those sampled indicated that they had not heard of GDAMS/GCOMS while 40% indicated that they had heard of GDAMS/GCOMS majority of them indicating that they heard about GDAMS/GCOMS during past GDAMS in Kenya. All of those sampled indicated that they wanted to know more about GDAMS/GCOMS signaling growing interest of the people on matters of military spending.
This paper presents the background of GDAMS/GCOMS and also present the Survey report that includes report of the street data collection and literature review related military spending. It also analyze the Kenyan military expenditure in comparison to other countries in East Africa and also with other select African states for the period ranging from 2009 to 2013. Data used here have been sourced from SIPRI report which has been compiling military expenditure of several countries in the last 25 years.

GCOMS Kenya Convener David Otieno while releasing the Kenyan military spending report at Freedom Corner Nairobi

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement 2
Abstract 3
Table of Contents. 5
List of Tables. 6
List of Figures. 7
1.0 Background. 7
1.1. Background. 7
1.2. GDAMS 2015 Themes. 10
1.2.1. Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss. 10
1.3. Past GDAMS. 10
1.3.1. GDAMS Nairobi 2011. 11
1.3.2. GDAMS Nairobi 2012. 11
1.3.3. GDAMS Nairobi 2013. 12
1.3.4. GDAMS Nairobi 2014. 12
2.0. GDAMS Nairobi 2015. 14
2.1. Introduction. 14
2.1. The Survey. 14
2.2.1. To establish the main social and economic problems common in Nairobi 15
2.2.2. To establish the view of the respondents on whether the global military spending of KSh153 Trillion (USD 1.75 Trillion annually?) translated to safety in the world. 16
2.2.3. To establish the view of the respondents on what their spending priorities would be if they were given KSh153 Trillion (USD 1.75 Trillion annually. 16
2.2.4. To examine the knowledge of the respondents on GDAMS/GCOMS and whether they wanted to know more about GDAMS/GCOMS. 17
3.0. Discussion of the Findings. 19
3.1. To establish the main social and economic problems common in Nairobi 19
3.1.1. Terrorism.. 19
3.1.2. Climate Change. 20
3.2. To establish the view of the respondents on whether the global military spending of KSh153 Trillion (USD 1.75 Trillion annually?) translated to safety in the world. 20
3.3. To establish the view of the respondents on what their spending priorities would be if they were given KSh153 Trillion (USD 1.75 Trillion annually. 21
3.4. To examine the knowledge of the respondents on GDAMS/GCOMS and whether they wanted to know more about GDAMS/GCOMS. 22
4.0. National, Regional, Continental and Global Military Spending. 23
4.1. Kenya Military Expenditure. 23
4.2. Kenyan Military Expenditure in Comparison with other East African States. 23
4.2. Kenyan Military Expenditure in Comparison with other African States. 25
5.0. Conclusion and Recommendations. 28
5.1. Conclusion. 28
5.2. Recommendations. 28
5.2.1. Recommendations for the African Governments. 28
5.2.1. Recommendations for the CSOs. 29
5.2.1. Recommendations for GCOMS Kenya. 29
6.0. References. 31

List of Tables

Table 1: Shows those sampled and the percentages. 16
Table 2: East Africa Countries Comparative Military Expenditure 2009 – 2012 ($USD Million) 22
Table 3: Select Africa Countries Comparative Military Expenditure with Kenya 2009 – 2012 ($USD Million) 23

List of Figures

Figure 1: Respondents knowledge about GDAMS/GCOMS. 20
Figure 2: East Africa Countries Comparative Military Expenditure 2009 – 2013 ($USD Million) 26
Figure 3: Select Africa Countries Comparative Military Expenditure with Kenya 2009 – 2012 ($USD Million) 29

 

 

 

1.0 Background

1.1. Background

Global Day of Action on Military Spending[1] (GDAMS) is a day marked annually around the globe in the month of April by Civil Society Organizations, Faith Based Organizations, Community Based Organizations and Peace Groups to call for reduction of ballooning global military expenditure which in 2013 reached a record high of USD1.75Trillion. GDAMS initiative was co-founded in 2011 by the International Peace Bureau[2] (IPB) and the Institute for Policy Studies[3] (IPS) and is now being coordinated by the Global Campaign on Military Spending[4] (GCOMS) which a global campaign whose main objective is to ask the world governments to reduce their military expenditures.
The purpose of GCOMS is to raise awareness of the huge and excessive amounts of public money spent on the military system all over the world and to build a community that can have some impact on the budget decisions made, especially at national level.
GDAMS is marked by holding a range of activities including demonstrations, lectures, tree planting and charity activities all aimed at calling for a reduction of military spending. GDAMS has been marked in Kenya since 2011 and in 2014 Kenya was admitted to be part of the International Steering Committee (ISC) that coordinates the GDAMS initiative globally.
Questions have been asked regarding the need and necessity of the military budgets. Opinions differ widely on the usefulness of the armed services and indeed if there is a need for them at all. Some feel that peacekeeping operations (under UN mandate) are necessary and important hence staffing and equipping them, there has to be some kind of military system. This is the thinking behind standing force run by the UN. Others who are pacifists, i.e. they do not believe in any military force, say that conflicts must be solved by peaceful means and if necessary by police forces but not by armies and soldiers. However all are agreed that the current annual global military budget of KSh153 Trillion (USD1.75Trillion) is grossly excessive, and in particular is totally opposed to spending on weapons of mass destruction.
Better still others could ask about the non-violent solutions to reduction on military spending and armed conflicts available. Nonviolent alternatives are abundant, morally superior, drastically less costly, far more appealing to the great majority of people in most countries, and thus strategically more effective. They should not be mistaken for inaction or capitulation. They include:

1. Active pursuit of meaningful diplomacy – engaging other governments and institutions in the region; using more effectively multilateral institutions like the UN and its agencies
2. Economic sanctions on terror groups and its supporters and serious efforts to cut off the flow of money
3. Arms embargoes
4. Support for local civil society, including refugees
5. Increased humanitarian assistance

Longer-term steps include:

1. Withdrawal of U.S./western troops/Kenyan troops from Somalia and other conflict areas,
2. Ending oil imports from the region affected by terror,
3. Tackling economic and social inequalities and injustices,
4. Empowering women and the marginalized,
5. Building democracy from below, rather than trying to enforce it from above.

1.2. GDAMS 2015 Themes

GDAMS 2015 shall be organized around four main themes namely Climate Change and biodiversity loss, Sustainable development and anti-poverty programs, Peace: disarmament, conflict prevention and resolution, human security and Sustainable development and anti-poverty programs focusing on post 2015 development agenda.

1.2.1. Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss

Effects of climate change come with much damage which includes severe weather and health complications arising from high temperatures. Economic models of mitigating emissions deals with trade-offs between the cost of reducing emissions and motivation to reduce emissions in the future. However reducing emissions involves transformation of global energy and transport systems from fossil fuel-based energy system to clean and low carbon technologies as well as investing more in re-afforestation and agriculture.
This is why one of the themes of GDAMS 2015 shall be to “Move the Money” from military to support Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation. GCOMSISTs argue that huge global military expenditure can be reduced and moved to support investments in green and clean energy and agricultural practices that are safe.
With the global debate being how to get funds to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, the GCOMISTs argue that such funds could be got by moving the money from increasing and ballooning military expenditure to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

 

1.3. Past GDAMS

Since its inception in 2011, Kenya has consistently been marking GDAMS.

1.3.1. GDAMS Nairobi 2011

In 2011, GDAMS was marked by a photo opportunity by a group of students in Eastland Nairobi where they posed with a banner[5].

1.3.2. GDAMS Nairobi 2012

In 2012 several groups including Bunge la Mwananchi (BLM), Wanjiku Revolution and Baraza la Taifa held a procession and presented a petition to the office of the President along Harambee Avenue asking the then Coalition government to[6]:

1. Immediately withdraw Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) from Somalia and embark on policing our borders as attacks had continued despite the KDF’s presence in Somalia pointing to a failed policy.
2. Drastically reduce the amount spent on military hardware and related expenses and channel the funds to provision of basic needs.
3. Beef security to ordinary Kenyans who have constantly suffered should there be any attack.
4. Come out clean on how the tenders to supply material were awarded to allay fears that the Somalia incursion is used to benefit some unscrupulous businesspeople.

1.3.3. GDAMS Nairobi 2013

In 2013 several organizations under the banner of the BLM and Coalition for Constitution Implementation (CCI) held a procession to the office of the president where they presented a petition asking the government to:[7]

1. Follow up on the allocation to the security sector in 2012/2013 budget to find out if the allocations had been used prudently.
2. Reduce Kenyan military spending and reallocate the resources to the social welfare sector.
3. Speed up the withdrawal of KDF from Somalia
4. Increase security surveillance along Kenyan borders to prevent proliferation of arms and other contraband goods, which are likely to aggravate insecurity.
5. Increase allocations on the food production, education, healthcare, housing and water, employment and social security sectors to reduce the crimes related to access resources

1.3.4. GDAMS Nairobi 2014

In 2014 several organizations including BLM and CCI held a forum at Ufungamano House where a detailed report of Kenyan military expenditures was discussed[8]. There after a march, tree-planting and candle-lighting activities were also held at Freedom Corner in Nairobi[9].
During the GDAMS Nairobi 2014, several recommendations were given to the African governments as follows:

1. That the African governments should lift the classification (secrecy act) that locks out interrogation of military expenditure by public and Civil Society Organizations (CSO).
2. The anticorruption in Africa agencies should investigate military expenditure in the continent to ascertain whether such classification is for the purposes of widening corruption networks.
3. That the African states should invest in peaceful means to resolving problems so as to save the taxpayers from funding conflicts that could hitherto be resolved peacefully.
4. That the African states should channel some of the allocations on the military to provision of basic social welfare as most conflicts are due to access of basic needs.