Kenyans Stunned as US Files Dump Reveals CIA Black Sites in Nairobi.

Declassified—New documents released by the United States government have spurred a frenzy among Kenyans as it has been revealed that the American spy agency has set up base in the heart of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

The documents, which are part of the files released on the assassination of US president John F. Kennedy by Donald Trump’s government as a follow-through for his pre-election promise, have listed the litany of clandestine bases set up by the CIA in different countries across the world. Among those countries is Kenya, where the documents, dating as far back as 1960, indicated the Nairobi base as one of the six CIA bases in Africa. The others are in South Africa (2), Nigeria, Morocco, and Zimbabwe.

The JFK-era CIA camp in Nairobi references to the immense significance of Nairobi to the US in the sixties. These bases were part of the US efforts to clamp down on the spread of Soviet ideologies during the Cold War. Due to Nairobi’s prominence in the region during the time, the CIA used these locations for surveillance, espionage, and the cultivation of informants to monitor communist activities and other geopolitical threats in East Africa.

Later on, in the aftermath of the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the 9/11 attack in the US, the CIA publicly formalized a partnership with the Kenyan government. This led to the establishment of a special force known as the Rapid Response Team (RRT), with its headquarters situated in Ruiru, on the outskirts of the capital Nairobi. 

The Rapid Response Team’s (RRT) primary function is to assist in counter-terrorism operations targeting suspected extremist networks. This paramilitary unit, fully trained and funded by the U.S. government, has been involved in response efforts during terror attacks in Kenya, such as the 2013 Westgate Mall attack and the 2019 DusitD2 complex attack—both perpetrated by Al-Shabaab.

The revelation of CIA black sites in Nairobi has sparked debate among Kenyans. While some view the intelligence collaboration as crucial for national security, others express concerns about sovereignty and the extent of foreign surveillance operations within the country. The disclosures have raised questions about Kenya’s role in global intelligence networks and the ethical implications of covert U.S. operations on Kenyan soil.