The reigning champions, who beat Lancashire 39-37 in last year's final, had to deal with injuries to Sam Evans (concussion), William Waddington (broken collarbone) and Rafael Dutta (knee) but did enough to open Division One South with a win.
Kent's Director of Rugby Taff Gwilliam said: "We are delighted to win but to be fair to Hampshire they pushed us all the way, and with the injuries we sustained I'm really pleased with the character our boys showed to get over the line.
"The character was tremendous and we were really pleased because we changed the age profile of the group this year. As National champions we have had a few players who have called it a day because they are in their early 30s.
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