Inside the rise of Lamu as Kenya’s military powerhouse

The state is increasingly putting up more security installations in Lamu, making the county one of Kenya’s military powerhouses.

In 2021, the national government took major steps to improve security, one being the establishment and upgrading of the Kenya Navy Base at Magogoni in Manda Bay.

The event held on September 23 was presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The event saw the Head of State present presidential and regimental colours to the Manda base, making it the second after the Mtongwe base in Mombasa County.

The Manda base, which has been operating as a Forward Operations Base (FOB), was established in 1992 and officially inaugurated in 1995 to provide logistical support to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) units stationed in Northern Kenya and Kismayu, Somalia.

Over the years, the base has grown to include an all-weather airstrip with night landing capability and a 1.3km runway.

The Manda Naval base has also been hosting a US government Forward Operating Location (FOL) since 2004 under the operational control of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) in Djibouti.

Apart from Manda Naval, various KDF camps have also been erected in Bar’goni, Baure, Bodhei, Masalani, Kotile, Sankuri, Kiunga, Ras Kamboni, and on the border of Kenya and Somalia.

This year, Kenya also announced the gazettement of 30,000 acres in Nairobi Ranch, which covers part of Witu in Lamu and Chara/Kipini in Tana River for the establishment of a KDF base.

At least 18,900 acres in Witu and 11,100 acres in Tana River’s Chara/Kipini are expected to be acquired for the military base establishment.

But why is Lamu County attracting more security installations in recent times, and is there any benefit to the locals?

KDF says what is happening in Lamu is nothing out of the ordinary.

Spokesperson Esther Wanjiku says the establishment of military bases in the county has been ongoing and that all the efforts are meant to ensure national borders are secured from any external threats.

“We continue to secure all our borders as we’ve been doing. For the first time, some things that citizens are not used to seeing carried out in the open by the military, such as tanks patrolling, military bases establishments, among other issues, are now done transparently. Those are normal military postures. There is nothing out of the ordinary,” said Col Wanjiku.

But Lamu is, in one way, where Kenya’s current conflict with the al-Shabaab terror group really started.

In fact, it was the centre of a series of events that triggered Kenya’s full-scale military invasion of Somalia.

In September 2011, a British tourist couple on a sailing holiday was kidnapped in what is believed to be the first al-Shabaab invasion in the region.

Mr David Tebbutt, 58, and his wife Judith Tebbutt were set for a dream holiday at the Kiwayu Safari Village Resort in Lamu East, only for Mr Tebbutt to be killed and his wife taken hostage by the terrorists.

Three weeks later, a French woman was taken by the group from a different hotel in the Lamu Archipelago.

The kidnappings along Kenya’s border with Somalia proved to be the trigger for the launch of various operations, including Linda Nchi by KDF in October 2011.

The security of this once peaceful region has never fully recovered from the scars of terrorism.

There were subsequent terror attacks by al-Shabaab between 2014 and 2018.

It is worth noting that the ongoing Linda Nchi Operation in Somalia was a full-scale military intervention aimed at creating a buffer zone along Kenya’s border.

As a result, Lamu has for years felt the blowback from this intervention, witnessing the complex entanglement of multiple conflicts, terror attacks, and the current heavy-handed security response from the state.

The current security interventions being witnessed in Lamu are partly about protecting the huge and critical investments and development that are being undertaken in the county such as the Sh310 billion Lamu Port.

The port, in Kililana, Lamu West, was opened by President Kenyatta on May 20 this year.

During the upgrading of Kenya Navy Base, Manda, on September 23, President Kenyatta termed the move as one of utmost significance in enhancing the country's counter-terrorism efforts, maritime security, and guarding vital trade routes.

“The Lamu Port (Lapsset) project and road improvement from Hindi through to Bar'goni, Bodhei, Baure, and Kiunga is ongoing. We are also steadfastly committed to making the Boni area a peaceful and stable economic hub. Such infrastructure projects will support the livelihood of thousands of our people within this region," said President Kenyatta.

The fact that Lamu borders Boni forest is also a matter of concern.

The 517m² forest, which stretches from Lamu and Garissa counties, extends all the way to the Kenya-Somalia border.

The forest has been providing an easy access route for al-Shabaab militants into and out of Lamu and Kenya over the years.

The border is porous. It has literally been impossible for the security to claim they can stop or even control illegal movement to and from Lamu. This is one of reasons for the state’s option to embrace security installations in Lamu.

After the Mpeketoni attack that left more than 100 people massacred, houses and vehicles torched by al-Shabaab on the night of June 15, 2014, the government, in September 2015, launched the multi-agency Operation Linda Boni, which is ongoing.

The objective of the operation is to flush out al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding inside the dense Boni forest to where they retreat after launching attacks on Lamu and other counties.

Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia said the al-Shabaab threat in the county is on the decline due to the increased government investment in security and ensuring the coastal county is safe.

He said winning the war against terrorism in Lamu has enabled socio-economic development in a region that had for years lagged behind.

“The Lamu Port and resort city, in addition to the other Lapsset-related facilities that will eventually boast 32 berths, can only thrive in an environment where the terrorist threat is tackled decisively. The rapid urbanisation being seen in places like Mokowe and Kililana, also provides even more impetus for the national government to secure Lamu further,” said Mr Macharia.

Mr Doza Diza an elder in Boni’s Bar'goni village praised the government for upgrading the Manda Naval Base into a fully established military base four months ago, noting that the move had already boosted Lamu's security and stability.

Mr Ali Keah, a community leader from Magogoni village, said the continued security installations, deployment, and the ongoing multi-agency Boni forest security operation has generally stabilised peace and unity, not only in Lamu, but the Coast and Kenya as a whole.

Ms Zeinab Abdile said the presence of military bases in Lamu has enhanced rapid response in the event of a terror attack.

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