The growing use of drones by militant groups is emerging as a new security challenge for Kenya, with armed organisations increasingly turning to the technology to spy on security forces, plan attacks and publicise their operations. Kenya is among nine African countries where non-state armed groups have acquired and deployed the aircraft, according to a new continental security assessment.
The State of Peace and Security Report 2025/2026, released by the Tana Forum, lists Kenya alongside Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Libya, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan as countries affected by the trend.
The report documents how armed groups have expanded their use of drones beyond observation, with some deploying them in explosive attacks while others use aerial images and footage to promote their activities.
“Relatedly, armed non-state actors active in nine African countries acquired and used drones for reconnaissance, explosive attacks, as well as propaganda dissemination purposes,” the report states.
Kenya's presence on the list comes against the backdrop of continued attacks by Somalia-based al Shabaab, which has maintained a presence along the Kenya-Somalia border and repeatedly targeted security installations and communities.
The militant group has been linked to the use of unmanned aircraft to collect information about security deployments, raising concerns about the ability of commercially available technology to support its operations.
One such incident occurred in July 2023, when Kenyan security personnel brought down an al Shabaab drone near a military post in Sirari, Lamu East.
The aircraft was reportedly being used to survey the area ahead of a suspected suicide attack, with investigators later establishing that it had been gathering intelligence around the intended target.
The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project documented the incident, stating: “On July 5, ahead of a suspected suicide attack on a military post in Sirari, Lamu East, Kenyan forces shot down an al-Shabaab drone that was gathering information at the site of the planned attack,” ACLED reported.
The episode exposed another dimension of the security threat facing Kenya, as militant groups can obtain commercial drones and use them to observe military facilities, study security arrangements and collect information before launching attacks.
Al Shabaab's use of the technology is not limited to gathering intelligence. The group has also incorporated aerial recordings into its propaganda, using footage to document its activities and communicate its operations to wider audiences.
Its drone capabilities have also been examined in connection with the January 2020 assault on the US military base at Manda Bay in Lamu.
Research into the attack considered the militants' use of aerial footage, although the exact role played by a drone in the planning or execution of the assault has not been conclusively established.
Security researchers have continued to monitor the group's growing interest in unmanned aircraft, particularly its reported attempts to expand from basic surveillance to developing drones capable of carrying weapons.
A 2024 study by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research documented al Shabaab's use of commercially available drones for reconnaissance and its reported efforts to develop weaponised unmanned aerial capabilities.
The developments point to an evolving security environment in which armed groups are adopting accessible technology to improve intelligence gathering, support attacks and strengthen their propaganda campaigns.
For Kenya, the findings highlight the additional difficulties facing security agencies as they contend with a militant organisation that has demonstrated an ability to exploit technology to monitor potential targets and prepare operations.