The United States has begun work on a major expansion of the Manda Bay military base in Kenya’s Lamu County, underscoring deepening security cooperation between Washington and Nairobi.
The groundbreaking ceremony was led by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, alongside US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Dagvin Anderson, during Landau’s official visit to Kenya. The project is estimated to cost around $70 million (approximately Sh9.0 billion), according to US and Kenyan officials.
Key developments:
• The expansion focuses on extending and modernising the Manda Bay runway.
• It aims to enhance counter-terrorism readiness and joint operational capability.
• The upgraded runway will allow larger aircraft to operate from the base, improving logistics.
• Manda Bay supports operations targeting extremist groups in Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa.
• The base is located near strategic Indian Ocean maritime routes.
Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh
tut0ugh 