The Embassy of the United States of America to Kenya (also known as Embassy Nairobi by the State Department), located in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

, is home to the

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

of the United States to the

Republic of Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. The embassy opened in central Nairobi on 2 March 1964, when the United States established diplomatic relations with Kenya. In 1998, the original embassy was the target of a terrorist attack, after which a new embassy building was constructed in Gigiri, a suburb of Nairobi, in 2003.

History

Original embassy

The United States recognized Kenya upon its independence on 12 December 1963. The US formally established diplomatic relations with Kenya on 2 March 1964. The US embassy in Nairobi was established the same day. The original embassy () was located on the western corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue in central Nairobi.

1998 bombing

On the morning of August 7, 1998, a truck loaded with explosives detonated in a parking lot between the embassy and two commercial, high-rise buildings (both of which contained some offices for US diplomatic staff). The attack killed 213 people and injured approximately 4000. Only 12 of the dead were Americans; most were Kenyans killed when the Ufundi House—a seven-storey office building adjacent to the embassy—collapsed. A simultaneous attack occurred at the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The attacks were attributed to

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

. In 1999, the federal government convened a group of experts to examine the security of US diplomatic posts worldwide. The group later released a report, stating that the security of US diplomatic posts (collectively, the US's "overseas presence") were "unacceptable" and that the US overseas presence was "perilously close to the point of system failure." The 1998 embassy bombings and the September 11 terrorist attacks three years later prompted the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...

to start a multibillion-dollar building and renovation program to make US embassies around the world safer. The original embassy grounds were donated to a charitable trust, which turned the property into the August 7th Memorial Park and maintains the grounds. The August 7th Memorial Park contains a garden, a sculpture made of debris from the attack, a wall engraved with the names of victims, and a visitor's center (built on the site of the Ufundi House).

New embassy

In 2003, the US opened a new embassy in the suburb of Gigiri, across from the Office of the United Nations in Nairobi. The new embassy building was inaugurated on March 3, 2003 and has 402,100 square feet (37,350 m²) of floor space. Several threats shortly after its opening caused some closures in mid-2003 and in 2014, some staff from the embassy were relocated due to a possible security threat.

Mission

The embassy is home to the US

to Kenya—diplomats and personnel representing United States interests in the host country, led by the

United States Ambassador to Kenya After Kenya's independence on December 12, 1963, the United States immediately recognized the new nation and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The embassy in Nairobi was established December 12, 1963—Kenya’s independence day—with La ...

. The US diplomatic mission to Kenya is working with the Kenyan government to prevent the spread of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

/ AIDS, promote and strengthen Kenyan institutes of democracy, and promote business between the US and Kenya; besides diplomatic activities, the embassy also provides

consular services Consular assistance is help and advice provided by the diplomatic agents of a country to citizens of that country who are living or traveling overseas. The diplomats may be honorary consuls, or members of the country's diplomatic service. Such a ...

, such as issuing

visas Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

, passports (for US citizens), and providing assistance to US citizens in distress. From 2015 to 2018, it was also the base for the US diplomatic mission to Somalia, due to the security situation in Somalia.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
* {{Authority control

Kenya–United States relations

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Government buildings completed in 2003 1964 establishments in Kenya