One of the two Royall Navy vessels at the Port of Mombasa. /HANDOUT
Two Royal Navy warships have arrived at the Port of Mombasa, highlighting the growing defence and security cooperation between Kenya and the United Kingdom.
HMS Dragon and RFA Lyme Bay are in the region and are making a routine port visit to Mombasa for maintenance and resupply following a period of training.
The vessels are also providing the UK Armed Forces with additional options for a potential multinational maritime security mission in the Strait of Hormuz.
Their visit comes against the backdrop of the Kenya-UK Strategic Partnership 2025-2030, unveiled by Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in London on July 2, 2025.
The five-year partnership provides a framework for Kenya and the UK to strengthen cooperation in areas including security and stability, green growth, climate and nature, science and technology.
Under the partnership, the two countries committed to strengthening their joint response to regional terrorism, illicit finance, cyber attacks and organised crime.
They also signed a renewed UK-Kenya Security Compact aimed at addressing traditional and emerging security threats, including risks from digital spaces and new technologies, irregular migration and illicit finance.
The partnership also places maritime security within the broader cooperation between the two countries.
The UK and Kenya continue to deepen security cooperation through the Strategic Partnership and Security Compact, which includes maritime security as well as counterterrorism.
The presence of the two warships in Mombasa was showcased during a reception held on Tuesday evening, attended by senior political figures, Kenya Defence Forces representatives and business leaders.
The event celebrated the relationship between Kenya and the UK and their shared commitment to security, prosperity and stability across East Africa.
Diana Dalton, Deputy British High Commissioner to Kenya, said the defence relationship between the two countries remained a key part of their wider partnership.
“The UK and Kenya’s security relationship is one of the deepest in Africa. Through our defence partnership, we are working together to strengthen cooperation and build professional capability,” Dalton said.
She said stronger cooperation on national and regional security would also support economic growth and safer communities.
“We are going far and going together, building a stronger future for East Africa,” she said.
Brigadier Sankale Kiswaa of the Kenya Navy said Kenya appreciated Britain’s support in strengthening its capabilities, particularly the Kenya Marine Commando Unit.
“Kenya and the UK have a great relationship spanning hundreds of years. We appreciate what the UK Government is doing to improve our capabilities, especially the Kenya Marine Commando Unit,” Kiswaa said.
He said the Kenyan Navy had been working to provide a safe environment for mariners to operate.
“For us it’s great to have two ships in the Port of Mombasa,” he said.
HMS Dragon is one of the Royal Navy’s six Type 45 air defence destroyers. Its main role is to tackle threats from the sky, but it is also capable of providing disaster relief and undertaking counter-narcotics boarding operations.
RFA Lyme Bay is a landing ship capable of putting troops, vehicles, stores and ammunition ashore.
It supports amphibious operations and exercises, NATO missions, humanitarian aid and assistance following disasters.
The warships’ visit therefore provides a practical demonstration of the wider Kenya-UK security relationship outlined in the 2025-2030 Strategic Partnership, as the two countries seek to strengthen regional security and stability.
