Laikipia Air Base (Nanyuki Air Base)

Laikipia Air Base is a Kenya Air Force installation located 8 kilometres west-northwest of Nanyuki, Kenya.

The airfield originated as RAF Nanyuki during World War II. In April 1942, No. 72 Operational Training Unit RAF relocated to the site from Sudan, operating Bristol Blenheim, Martin Baltimore, and Douglas Boston aircraft. The Royal Air Force subsequently used the airfield for anti-Mau Mau operations between 1953 and 1954.

On 25 February 1974, the Kenya Air Force opened the installation as Nanyuki Air Base to serve as its primary airfield for fighter aircraft. In June 1974, BAC Strikemaster aircraft were transferred to the airfield from RAF Eastleigh. The base received Hawker Hunter combat jets later that year, followed by Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter aircraft in 1978 and Hawker Siddeley Hawk flight training jets in 1979. Following a coup d'état attempt on 1 August 1982, the Kenya Air Force was placed under Kenyan Army command, and the installation was renamed Laikipia Air Base.

The facility is owned by the Kenya Defence Forces and operated by the Kenya Air Force. It includes Laikipia Air Base East, an area on land leased from the Kenyan government that houses the permanent headquarters for the British Army Training Unit Kenya. This section provides permanent facilities for 300 personnel and supports annual troop training operations. In May 2026, a United States medical quarantine facility was established at the base to monitor individuals exposed to Ebola.