The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi announced the opening of applications for the fully funded 2027-2028 Fulbright Foreign Student Programme and the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Programme (FVSP), inviting Kenyans to pursue educational opportunities in the United States. Applications are due by April 20, 2026, for these prestigious international exchange initiatives.

• The Fulbright Foreign Student Programme offers graduate students tuition, travel, and living expenses for master’s-level study in the U.S.
• The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Programme is open to university faculty members and administrators with advanced degrees for research, teaching, or curriculum development.
• Interested applicants can find details and apply through the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi website, with a virtual information session held on February 10.

Kenya’s Naval Forces are participating in Exercise Cutlass Express 2026, a U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM)-sponsored multinational maritime security drill, to enhance security along its coastline and protect maritime trade routes in the Indian Ocean.

• The exercise, running from February 2 to 12 in Port Louis, Mauritius, focuses on boosting Kenya's Navy's ability to counter illegal fishing, smuggling, and piracy.
• Kenyan forces are training alongside the United States Navy's U.S. Sixth Fleet in complex operations like visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) and maritime interdiction.
• A key feature is the deployment of unmanned and autonomous systems by U.S. Task Force 66, exposing Kenyan personnel to advanced maritime surveillance technologies.
• 19 nations, including Somalia, Tanzania, Seychelles, India, France, and the United States, are participating in this cornerstone event for East African and Western Indian Ocean maritime security.
• The exercise comes amidst an expanded Kenya-U.S. defense partnership, which recently saw a groundbreaking for an Ksh8.9 billion runway expansion at the Manda Bay naval base.
• Christopher Landau, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and General Dagvin R. M. Anderson, Commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), recently visited Nairobi to discuss bilateral cooperation with President William Ruto.

President William Ruto has nominated Kosiom Frank Ole Kibelekenya as Ambassador to Copenhagen, Denmark, establishing a new diplomatic mission. Additionally, Ruto appointed three new Deputy Ambassadors to Somalia, Russia, and Tanzania. These appointments, part of Presidential Action No. IV of 2026, expand Kenya's diplomatic presence to 72 countries.

• Full Ambassador nominated: Kosiom Frank Ole Kibelekenya for Copenhagen, Denmark.
• New Deputy Ambassadors: Elias Bare Shill to Mogadishu, Somalia; Ambassador Dr Joseph Warui to Moscow, Russia; and Ambassador Mohammed Hussein Nur to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
• The appointments were announced on Friday, February 6th, 2026, by Felix K. Koskei, Chief of Staff and Head of the Public Service.