Kenya: Ruto, Africom Commander Discuss Regional Security, Counter-Terrorism

What the report says

AllAfrica, distributing a Capital FM report from Nairobi, said President William Ruto met United States Africa Command commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday to discuss regional security and counter-terrorism cooperation. Anderson was accompanied by Susan Burns, the U.S. Embassy chargé d’affaires, according to the report.

The report said Ruto reaffirmed Kenya’s security partnership with the United States and emphasized continued collaboration with AFRICOM on cross-border threats, violent extremism, emergency response and humanitarian coordination. He linked peace and stability to economic development, regional integration and expanded African trade.

Capital FM framed the meeting as part of Kenya’s wider engagement with regional and international partners on terrorism, transnational crime and humanitarian crises, particularly in the Horn of Africa. It also noted that Anderson had joined U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau in January for talks with Ruto on regional security, trade and Kenya’s leadership role in the Multinational Security Support mission in Haiti.

The report added context that Kenya’s defence relationship with Washington has expanded since Ruto’s May 2024 state visit to the United States, when Kenya was designated a Major Non-NATO Ally, the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to receive that status. AFRICOM, based in Stuttgart, Germany, is the U.S. military command responsible for defence relations with African countries, the African Union and regional organizations.