crs_reports: R48072

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R48072 Kenya: Current Issues and U.S. Relations 2026-03-06T05:00:00Z 2026-03-07T06:38:01Z Active Reports Lauren Ploch Blanchard Sub-Saharan Africa Longstanding U.S. ties with Kenya have deepened over the past decade, as successive U.S. administrations have viewed the country as a strategic partner in Africa. Former President Joe Biden hosted Kenya’s President William Ruto for a state visit in 2024, and he designated Kenya as the United States’ first Major Non-NATO Ally in Sub-Saharan Africa, a designation that conveys defense trade and security cooperation benefits. Ruto was the first African leader to be invited by a U.S. president for a state visit since 2008. The Trump Administration has similarly appeared to value the bilateral relationship with Kenya, describing the country as one of the United States’ strongest partners in the region. Kenya became an important U.S. counterterrorism partner in Africa in the aftermath of Al Qaeda’s 1998 bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. In 2011, the country launched military operations in neighboring Somalia against the regional Al Qaeda affiliate, Al Shabaab, and subsequently joined the UN-authorized African Union stabilization mission there. Al Shabaab launched attacks against soft targets frequented by foreigners, including U.S. citizens, in Kenya’s capital, raising the group’s international profile. In 2020, Al Shabaab killed a U.S. servicemember and two U.S. contactors in an attack on Manda Bay Airfield, a Kenyan base used by the U.S. military near the Somali border. Al Shabaab, which U.S. officials now describe as Al Qaeda’s largest and wealthiest affiliate, continues to pose a threat in Kenya and the broader region, and Kenya hosts an expanding U.S. military presence at Manda Bay that supports regional counterterrorism efforts. The 2024 state visit highlighted Kenya’s importance to the United States not only as a diplomatic and security partner in East Africa, but as an African counterpart on shared global priorities. Kenya participated in Operation Prosperity Guardian, a maritime taskforce launched by the United States in response to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and it has been one of the only African members of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Kenya’s 2024 deployment, with U.S. support, to lead the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti, further elevated U.S.-Kenya ties, despite outstanding questions about the country’s human rights trajectory. Kenya is often characterized as a comparatively stable and democratic anchor state in a troubled region. Political unrest has threatened its stability several times, however, most recently in 2024, when a protest movement led by young Kenyans and a violent state response spurred a political crisis. Facing a heavy debt burden and the threat of default, President Ruto tried to raise taxes that year, which fanned public anger amid rising costs of living. When legislators passed the tax bill while tens of thousands were in the streets protesting, some demonstrators stormed the parliament. Dozens were killed in the police response to the protests, and over a thousand people were arrested. The nationwide protests highlighted public frustration not only with economic hardships, but with public sector corruption and a perceived lack of accountability. The public display of discontent was an unprecedented challenge for the government, and Ruto ultimately reversed the tax bill, reshuffled his cabinet, and brought several opposition politicians into his government to defuse tensions. Scores of government critics were abducted or killed in the aftermath of the protests, and a series of forcible extraditions of foreign dissidents from Kenya prompted accusations that the government was enabling transnational repression. Ruto has faced calls for his ouster and allegations, including from former allies, of corruption, but his alliance with elements of the opposition co-opted some of his most vocal critics. With the opposition divided, President Ruto is, by some accounts, favored to win re-election in 2027. Kenya hosts one of the largest U.S. embassies in Africa, routinely receives senior U.S. officials for visits, and is a frequent destination for congressional travel. It has been a leading beneficiary of tariff benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA; P.L. 106-200, as amended), which Congress has extended through the end of 2026. Under the first Trump Administration, the United States and Kenya launched negotiations on a free trade agreement—it would have been the first in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Biden Administration did not continue those talks, instead launching a Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP). Kenya, which has faced a 10% tariff under President Trump’s tariff policy, has engaged the Trump Administration in talks aimed at reaching a new bilateral trade arrangement. The Trump Administration has maintained a warm relationship with Kenya, despite the tariff issue. Administration officials have described the country as a “longstanding American ally” and emphasized U.S. appreciation for Kenya’s deployment to Haiti and leadership on regional peace and security issues. The country, which has regularly ranked among the top recipients of U.S. foreign aid globally, has been affected by the Administration’s foreign aid cuts, which have spurred congressional debate and legal action. In late 2025, Kenya became the first country to sign a bilateral agreement with the Trump Administration on global health cooperation. Under the five-year deal, which faces a court challenge in Kenya, the country is expected to gradually assume greater financial responsibility as U.S. assistance for health programs in the country declines. https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/PDF/R48072/R48072.17.pdf https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/HTML/R48072.html

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