Manda Bay airfield expansion project gets under way in Kenya

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau points at a model showing the Manda Bay airfield expansion project. (US Embassy Nairobi)

A groundbreaking ceremony for a significant expansion of the Manda Bay airfield in northern Kenya was held on 29 January.

The US military's Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa reported that US Africa Command (AFRICOM) commander General Dagvin Anderson and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau attended the ceremony marking the start of “a new runway expansion and airfield infrastructure project”.

“The airfield project strengthens a long-standing US-Kenya security partnership by enhancing counter-terrorism co-operation, expanding Kenya's military operational capacity as a key non-NATO ally, and providing both nations a stronger platform to deter threats,” it said.

The airfield is part of Kenya Navy base Manda Bay, which hosts the US military's Camp Simba. It is used by AFRICOM's 406th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW), but the base appears to be primarily used by contractor-operated intelligence-gathering aircraft for missions over Somalia.

The Somali militant group Al-Shabaab attacked the base in January 2020, destroying several aircraft and killing three Americans. Satellite imagery shows that security around the base was significantly upgraded after the attack.

The 406th AEW reported in October 2025 that the facilities at Camp Simba were being upgraded, with temporary tents being replaced by more durable containerised housing units for US personnel.

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Kenya upgrades Manda Bay to base