U.S. Africa Command senior leadership, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Kenyan officials attend the groundbreaking on a runway expansion and airfield infrastructure project Jan. 29, 2026, in Manda Bay, Kenya. (Kenneth Tucceri/ U.S. Army)
A 10,000-foot runway expansion project is underway at a strategic base in Kenya used by U.S. forces, officials from the two countries said this week.
Kenyan forces, in partnership with the United States, broke ground Thursday on the runway expansion at the Manda Bay airfield. The State Department funded the $71 million project.
U.S. Africa Command’s Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, who was on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony, said the project represents an investment in joint security and closer economic ties.
“It is clear to me how it enhances the security for Kenya, but also enhances the security for all of us,” Anderson said.
Kenya’s defense ministry called the project a “pivotal strategic capability upgrade that significantly enhances operational reach, heavy airlift capacity, and forward logistical sustainment for joint and partner military operations.”
The $71 million was funded by the State Department.
The U.S. has been making numerous improvements at facilities used by American troops in Kenya, where military outposts are positioned near the border with Somalia, a major focus for U.S. Africa Command.
In 2020, al-Shabab militants launched an attack on Manda Bay airfield, about a mile down the road from Camp Simba, where U.S. forces also operate.
Army Spc. Henry Mayfield Jr., 23, and two Defense Department pilot contractors, Dustin Harrison and Bruce Triplett, were killed when the insurgents overran the Manda Bay site.
AFRICOM had to dispatch a quick-reaction force based out of Djibouti to reinforce the base.
In the aftermath, security measures were bolstered at Manda Bay and Camp Simba to better protect U.S. troops.