U.S. Senator James Risch has inserted an amendment into the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 directing the State Department to reassess Kenya’s designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally, a status the East African nation obtained only on 24 June 2024. The measure, backed by the Trump administration, requires Secretary of State Marco Rubio to submit his findings to Congress within 180 days. The review will catalogue Kenya’s military, political and financial engagements with China, Russia and Iran, and examine any cooperation with armed groups such as al-Shabaab and Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. Investigators are also asked to determine whether President William Ruto’s government has used U.S. security assistance to carry out abductions, renditions or other human-rights abuses. Kenya’s MNNA status gives it priority access to U.S. defense financing, joint training and surplus military equipment. Revocation would mark a significant setback to Washington’s strategy of deepening security ties in sub-Saharan Africa and could complicate ongoing counterterrorism and economic initiatives between the two countries.