Trump nominates Devin Kennington as U.S. ambassador to Somalia

Tuesday September 15, 2026

Mogadishu (HOL) – U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated career diplomat Devin Kennington to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Somalia, seeking to fill the post that has been vacant since the recall of former Ambassador Richard H. Riley in late 2025.

Kennington’s nomination was included in a list of diplomatic appointments submitted by the White House to the U.S. Senate. White House records identify him as the nominee for “Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary” to the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Kennington will succeed Riley, who served as U.S. ambassador to Somalia from 2024 until he was recalled to Washington in December 2025 as part of wider changes to U.S. diplomatic leadership under the Trump administration.

Since Riley’s departure, Justin Davis has served as chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu while the ambassadorial post remained vacant.

Kennington joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 2011 and has held several diplomatic posts, including vice consul in São Paulo, Brazil, consular affairs chief at the U.S. Embassy in Djibouti and chief of American Citizen Services in Hong Kong.

Most recently, he served as chief of the Great Lakes Unit and senior Democratic Republic of Congo desk officer, focusing on Central Africa at the U.S. Department of State.

His previous assignments have given him experience in Africa and the Horn of Africa, although no previous Somalia-specific diplomatic role has been publicly identified.

The nomination comes as Somalia and the United States maintain close cooperation on security, efforts to counter Al-Shabaab, stabilization and broader regional issues in the Horn of Africa.