U.S. Begins $70 Million Upgrade of Kenyan Air Base After 2020 Al-Shabaab Attack

NAIROBI, Kenya — The United States has launched a $70 million project to expand an airfield at a military base in Kenya near the border with Somalia, aiming to strengthen counterterrorism operations in the Horn of Africa.

The expansion is underway at Manda Bay Air Base, a Kenyan Defense Forces facility in Lamu County that is used by U.S. forces and has long served as a strategic hub in operations against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau spoke at a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, saying the project underscored Washington’s commitment to collective defense with Kenya.

“We have to show those who wish us harm that we are determined to defend ourselves,” Landau said, describing the base as a “very visible commitment to the joint defense of the United States and Kenya.”

The project comes amid closer military and diplomatic ties between the two countries. In 2024, then-President Joe Biden announced plans to designate Kenya as the first major non-NATO ally of the United States in sub-Saharan Africa, a move intended to deepen cooperation despite the absence of a formal security treaty.

Manda Bay has been central to U.S. operations targeting al-Shabab, which has carried out attacks in Kenya and Somalia. In 2020, three Americans were killed when the group breached security at Camp Simba, part of the Manda Bay base, destroying aircraft and military vehicles.

Kenya has previously been targeted by militant attacks linked to al-Qaida. In 1998, near-simultaneous bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed more than 200 people, including 12 Americans, and wounded thousands.

Landau also praised Kenya’s role in supporting international stability efforts, including its involvement in Haiti.

GAROWE ONLINE