Members of the Kenyan Defence Forces escort a simulated suspicious person towards a holding facility during a joint US-Kenyan base defense exercise at Manda Bay, Kenya, August 27, 2026.

📋 Breaking It Down

Six years after an Al-Shabaab attack exposed vulnerabilities at the Manda Bay military base in Lamu, Kenyan and US forces have conducted their first ever multi-unit joint exercise involving the defence of the entire facility.

The August 27 exercise, which was made public over the weekend, brought together Kenya Defence Forces and US military personnel to rehearse responses to threats ranging from suspicious activity and mortar attacks to explosive hazards, fires and medical emergencies, according to the US Africa Command.

The exercise comes as the US continues to invest in infrastructure at Manda Bay, including an expansion of the airfield, to enhance the facility's continuing role in American counterterrorism operations in East Africa.

📌 What You Need to Know

Members from the Kenyan Defence Force render simulated medical aid to US Air Force Airman 1st Class Dominique Wooten, 475th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron Mission Support Flight radio transmissions systems journeyman, during a joint US-Kenyan base defense exercise at Manda Bay, Kenya, August 27, 2026.

The landmark drill represents the first complete, cross-functional integration of combined forces at the base, bringing together personnel from all branches of the KDF incorporating Kenya Army, Kenya Air Force and Kenya Navy, alongside the US Army and US Air Force. This was different from unit-level exercises that often involve one military unit practicing how to respond to attacks.

Sources in the military said the drill, officially known as Base Defense Exercise (BDEX), is a common, critical training operation used in military environments with the key objective being to prepare forces for fully protecting military installations.

It is designated to validate things like an installation’s defense capabilities, testing the coordination, emergency responses and medical aid competences of the personnel stationed at a particular base.

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“For Manda Bay, it was executed for the first time in history. You know it isn’t a joke to have a complete cross-functional integration of combined forces, including members from all branches of KDF done successfully simultaneously like that. All this is in effort to ensure the continuation of operations during a simulated threat,” a KDF insider who requested anonymity for lacking authorisation to comment on the matter said.

📰 Source: Nation Africa