Laikipia Air Base

Laikipia Air Base
KAF Nanyuki
Nanyuki Air Base
Nanyuki, Laikipia County in Kenya
Site information
TypeAir Base
OwnerKenya Defence Forces
OperatorKenya Air Force
Location
Laikipia Air Base is located in Kenya
Laikipia Air Base
Laikipia Air Base
Shown within Kenya
Coordinates00°01′51″N 037°01′31″E / 0.03083°N 37.02528°E / 0.03083; 37.02528
Site history
BuiltApril 1973 (1973-04)
In use1974-present
Airfield information
Elevation1,865 metres (6,119 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
02/20 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) Concrete

Laikipia Air Base (IATA: n/a, ICAO: n/a) is a Kenya Air Force base located approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west-northwest of Nanyuki, Kenya.

Laikipia AB was established in 1974 as Nanyuki Air Base and later renamed for the county in which it is located.

History

By the beginning of April 1942, No. 72 Operational Training Unit RAF were setting up at RAF Nanyuki having been moved from Wadi Gazouza in Sudan. The unit was flying Bristol Blenheims, Martin Baltimores, and Douglas Bostons.[1]

RAF Nanyuki was used for anti-Mau Mau operations in 1953-54.[2]

On 25 February 1974, Nanyuki Air Base was opened by the Kenya Air Force (KAF) as its primary airfield for fighter aircraft. In June 1974, the KAF's fleet of BAC Strikemaster aircraft were transferred from RAF Eastleigh (later named KAF Eastleigh) to Nanyuki Air Base. Also in 1974, the KAF purchased six Hawker Hunter combat jets from the Royal Air Force and located them at Nanyuki Air Base (which had since its opening been renamed KAF Nanyuki). In 1978, the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter was introduced to the KAF and also based at Nanyuki, and the following year, Nanyuki became the home of the KAF's fleet of Hawker Siddeley Hawk flight training jets.[3]

After the a failed coup by a group of KAF officers on 1 August 1982, the Kenya Air Force was disbanded and placed under the control of the Kenyan Army. During this period, KAF Eastleigh was renamed Moi Air Base and KAF Nanyuki was renamed Laikipia Air Base (LAB).

In August 2014, gunmen drove into one of the airfield's gate and opened fire. One soldier was injured.[4]

British presence

In 2015, the UK began an infrastructure project to relocate the HQ for its British Army training unit in Kenya, named the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), to Laikipia Air Base.[5] The HQ is located within an area designated Laikipia Air Base East (LAB(E)). Previously, it was located on land leased from the Nanyuki Agricultural Society, which had to be vacated every year to make way for an agricultural show. LAB(E) now provides permanent facilities on land leased directly from the Kenyan government.[6] BATUK is used to train around 10,000 British troops per year and has 300 permanent personnel.[7]

US Ebola quarantine facility

On 27 May 2026, the White House announced that the United States was constructing a medical facility at Laikipia Air Base to monitor and quarantine asymptomatic Americans exposed to Ebola.[8][9] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the facility would be operational within seven days, and that the administration "could not and would not allow" any cases of Ebola to enter the United States.[9] [8] The proposal was criticised by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Law Society of Kenya, and members of the Kenyan public. [9][10][11]

On 29 May, the High Court of Kenya temporarily barred the establishment of the facility.[12][13] On 2 June, the court further prohibited the government from "admitting into Kenya, receiving, transferring, or facilitating the entry of persons exposed to or infected with Ebola", and ordered the government to disclose information relating to the project to the public. [13][12] Kenyan government officials, including President William Ruto, defended the proposal, stating that it formed part of a long-standing partnership between Kenya and the United States in global health security and pandemic response and would provide financial and technical support to Kenya. [14] Ruto stated that the arrangement was consistent with previous international health collaborations, including the use of facilities in Nairobi during the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

Protests against the facility erupted in Nanyuki on 1 June, resulting in two deaths and disruptions to transportation and business activity in the surrounding area.[12] Kenyan security forces responded to the protests by cordoning off the base and preventing demonstrators from entering the facility. [15]

A 17-year-old form three student was shot dead during continued protests on 9 June. [16][17] According to satellite imagery seen by the British Broadcasting Corporation, the facility's construction was ongoing in defiance of the court order. [18]

Cabinet Secretary of Health Aden Duale continued to claim that construction had been halted[19][20] despite additional Reuters' reports of continued construction after review of satellite imagery and about 20 flights carrying personnel and equipment related to the facility.[21][22] On 22 June, the High Court found Duale in contempt of court for allowing construction to continue and urged him to comply with future orders from the judiciary. [23] He was summoned to the Milimani High Court to explain why he should not be sentenced for disobeying the court order. During his 23 June appearance on the court, he said that he had misinterpreted the court ruling and that he was committed to following court orders.[24][25]

On 17 July, Reuters first reported, and the US Department of State later confirmed, that seven Samaritan's Purse personnel had been quarantined at the facility after one of their aid workers got infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.[26][27][28]

References

  1. ↑ "NAW How". www.211squadron.org. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  2. ↑ RAF Nanyuki, Kenya: Mau Mau operations. 1953–1954.
  3. ↑ "Ministry of Defence- Kenya". www.mod.go.ke. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Weru, Job (22 August 2014). "Unknown gunmen drive into Laikipia Air Base gate, shoot at soldiers injuring one". The Standard. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  5. ↑ Calvert, Kevin (13 July 2016). "Capability in Kenya: Improvements at Laikipia". GOV.UK. Defence Infrastructure Organisation.
  6. ↑ Calvert, Kevin (14 January 2019). "Supporting the British Army's capability in Kenya". GOV.UK. Inside DIO. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Weir, Fiona (26 February 2016). "BATUK: Britain's Base In Kenya". BFBS. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  8. 1 2 Ali Swenson; Mike Stobbe (27 May 2026). "Trump will send Americans exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya". AP. Archived from the original on 29 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 Oketch, Angela; Chelangat, Mercy (28 May 2026). "Revealed: Where US Ebola quarantine centre will be located". Daily Nation. Archived from the original on 29 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  10. ↑ Larry Madowo; Lauren Kent; Nimi Princewill (29 May 2026) [28 May 2026]. "Proposed US Ebola facility in Kenya sparks backlash at home and abroad". CNN. Archived from the original on 2 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  11. ↑ David Mwere (1 June 2026). "US Ebola quarantine facility traced to 2016 Kenya-US pact". Daily Nation. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 "High Court orders Kenya government to release details of Ebola facility". Al Jazeera English. 2 June 2026. Archived from the original on 2 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 Walter, Dzuya (2 June 2026). "High Court demands full disclosure on controversial US-linked Ebola facility plan". Citizen Digital. Archived from the original on 2 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  14. 1 2 Perpetua Etyang (2 June 2026). "Ruto: Why I okayed proposed Ebola facility in Laikipia". The Star. Archived from the original on 2 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Bruhan Makong (1 June 2026). "KDF cordon off Laikipia Air Base as hundreds protest planned Ebola facility". Capital FM.
  16. ↑ Wandera, Vivianne (17 June 2026). "Ghosts of empire: A quarantine centre and Laikipia's colonial past". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 24 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Wanjiru, Ndiritu (12 June 2026). "Victim of Nanyuki protest shooting identified as 17-year-old form three student". People Daily. Archived from the original on 24 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Rukanga, Basillioh (9 June 2026). "Man reportedly shot at Kenya protest against US Ebola quarantine centre". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 June 2026. Retrieved 12 June 2026.
  19. ↑ Wangui, Juliet; Oketch, Silas (16 June 2026). "Duale: Ebola facility project stopped after court injunction". Daily Nation. Nation Media Group. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  20. ↑ "Duale denies ongoing construction of Laikipia quarantine facility". YouTube (video). NTV Kenya. 10 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Construction of US-backed Ebola facility in Kenya halted, minister says". Reuters. 23 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  22. ↑ Kannampilly, Ammu; Lewis, David (3 June 2026). "US equipment, experts arrive at Kenya Ebola facility despite court order, protests". Reuters. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Ngwatu, Zipporah (22 June 2026). "Milimani High Court summons CS Duale over contempt order on Ebola facility". People Daily. Archived from the original on 24 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Dzuya, Walter (23 June 2026). "Court pardons Duale for contempt in Ebola quarantine facility case". Citizen Digital. Archived from the original on 23 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "CS Aden Duale dodges jail after defying Ebola facility orders". Daily Nation. 23 June 2026. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "7 Americans quarantine at Kenya Ebola facility, Aid group says". The East African. Reuters. 17 July 2026. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  27. ↑ Atieno, Sharon (19 July 2026). "US confirmation puts Duale's Laikipia Ebola facility denial under scrutiny". People Daily. Archived from the original on 19 July 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  28. ↑ NTV Kenya (18 July 2026). "Ebola: US confirms that its aid workers are quarantined in Laikipia, Kenya. Who is fooling whom?". YouTube (video). Retrieved 19 July 2026.
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