On Thursday (January 29), the United States inaugurated an intended expansion of Manda Bay military base in the Lamu County of Kenya, which steps up security collaboration among a major partner of the region as Washington looks forward to supporting more counter-terrorism and maritime operations in the Horn of Africa.

The ceremony was chaired by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Dagvin Anderson, as a grand opening of a massive infrastructure project estimated at an estimated cost of 70 million dollars ( Sh9.049 billion) according to the Kenyan and the officials of the United States. The landmark came when Landau visited Nairobi, where he discussed defence coordination, business relations and peace in the region.

Both governments are describing the expansion (which focuses on the extension and modernisation of the Manda Bay runway) as a strategic investment that would enhance counter-terrorism preparedness.

The Kenya Defence Forces’ location of Manda Bay, which hosts the US troops, has been a long-time forward operating base of operations against the extremist groups in Somalia and the rest of the region. Militant attacks have also been directed towards it.

The US authorities believe that the runway expansion will augment the joint operational preparedness and enhance logistics as it allows larger aircraft to take off from the coastal outpost, which is located close to the major sea routes in the Indian Ocean.

During the visit of Landau, the United States and Kenya are likely to declare further cooperation in the field of defence.