# Kenyan made weapons, the complete list

- Link: https://www.military.africa/2020/01/kenyan-made-weapons-the-complete-list/
- Published: 2020-01-23T02:24:12+01:00
- Author: Military Africa

Kenyan made weapons have been used in service across all the branches of Kenya’s
military. Developing a Kenyan made weapons capability has been the goal of the country’s
military for a long time now.

In today’s world, not all countries possess the financial and technical capacity
to manufacture their own home-made weapons. Even though many countries strive to
achieve this lofty endeavor, only a few manage to excel in this area.

In Africa today, the few countries that develop arms in major quantities include
[South Africa](https://www.military.africa/2017/11/here-are-some-of-south-african-made-weapons),
Egypt, [Nigeria](https://www.military.africa/2019/03/nigerian-made-weapons), Sudan,
Kenya, and Ethiopia.

For Kenya, the country established a small arms manufacturing operation called the
Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation (KOFC). The [KOFC](https://www.kofc.co.ke/)
started in 1997 under the Ministry of State for Defense, and so far, it is the only
ammunition manufacturer in Kenya.

In the long-term, KOFC aims to satisfy the nation’s need for quality small arms 
ammunition and related products and to develop a local and international market 
for Kenyan-made weapons.

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So far, the KOFC produces about 20,000–60,000 bullets daily. Kenyan made weapons
are used by the armed forces and the Kenya police, which consumes about two million
bullets per year, according to the KOFC website.

## The importance of having a homemade weapons development capability

Why it is important for Kenyan to possess a Kenyan made weapons building capacity
is because Kenya has been involved in so many conflicts and peacekeeping operations
for a long time.

For instance, more recently, the Kenyan Army On 16 October 2011, entered Somalia
in Operation Linda Nchi against Al-Shabaab. The result of Operation Linda Nchi is
the capture of Kismayo as well as the formation of a safety zone against Al-Shabaab.

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As a country currently fighting a war in Somalia, a Kenyan made weapons would reduce
the reliance on foreign-made weapons and ammunition which are known to be prone 
to political fickleness and the goodwill of the arms seller.

Also, a Kenyan made weapons production capacity will help the military logisticians
a great deal by simplifying the process involved in resupplying soldiers on the 
battlefield with readily available ammunition.

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## List of Kenyan made weapons

### Kenyan made Guns

 * AKM by Gafat Armament Engineering Complex
 * CMZ-4 assault rifle (M4 and M16 clone) by [Chalbi Industries Kenya](https://www.chalbiindustries.co.ke/about-us.html)

![](blob:military.africa/617033d0-5174-4d3a-8c52-bf8cc2c3fef8)

### **Kenyan made Ammunition**

 * 7.62 X 51 mm Ball -77/1 (for the FN FAL and the G3, the main rifles used by the
   armed forces)
 * 7.62 X 51 mm Blank star
 * 5.56 X 45 mm BALL SS – 109 (used by the Kenya police)
 *  5.56 X 45 mm Blank Star
 * 9 X 19 mm PARABELLUM ( for the FN35 Browning pistol and the Sterling, Uzi or 
   H&K MP5 submachine guns used by the armed forces.)

![](https://www.military.africa/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Kenyan-made-ammunition-
weapons-scaled.jpg)

A Kenyan made ammunition

According to the report by globalpolicy.org, Kenya now produces small arms and ammunition
with assistance from FN Herstal of Belgium (1996).

### Kenyan made Armored** vehicle**

Also, other local arms factories have been built since then. These include South
African company Osprea Logistics’ facility, which started in late 2012. The facility
can assemble Mamba Mk 5 armored personnel carriers in Kenya, with a capacity to 
produce hundreds of vehicles in a year.

The Mamba armored personnel carrier is mostly used by the African Union peacekeepers
and private security contractors around the world. However, local sources in Kenya
told Military Africa that the South African company Osprea Logistics’ facility has
failed to begin production of any Kenyan made weapons or armored vehicle.

Kenya now manufacture [ammunition for the AK-47, the most popular assault rifle in the region.](https://www.military.africa/2020/01/why-the-kalashinikov-ak-47-rifle-is-so-popular-in-africa)

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