Recently Kenya released one of the most robust Foreign Policy in her history.
The launch of the document comes against a backdrop of real action by President William Samoei Ruto making two significant far-reaching decisions including the opening of the first ever Kenya Embassy in Rabat and appointing a substantive Ambassador H.E Jessica Gakinya, also for the very first time in the Country’s history.
To reflect on these moves, it is crucial to go back to President William Ruto’s strategic policies with respect to Agriculture and food security embedded in his manifesto called The Plan.
Upon assuming office, President Ruto embarked on an ambitious plan of subsidizing agriculture as opposed to subsidizing fuel. According to Kenya’s Fifth President it was better to subsidize production as opposed to consumption because that was a more sustainable way of Fiscal Management.
Centre to this is Fertilizer. Kenya had proposed to have more affordable farm inputs to promote better farming and larger harvest and Morocco came in handy being the largest producer of Phosphate fertilizer in the World.
And today the price of fertilizer has dropped from Sh 6,000 a bag to between Sh 2,000 and 2,500 with stunning results of bumper harvest of Kenya’s staple Maize and for the first time Keny blocked sugar imports because it had produced enough for local consumption.
This is one of the quintessential interventions that has stabilized the Kenyan economy and made it one of the fastest growing economies in the World going by the 2024-2025 economic indicators.
No wonder, Kenya appointed a person with a chequered career in Agricultural development and marketing over the years.
During her vetting interview before a committee of Kenya’s Parliament Ambassador Gakinya had said the first step will be to encourage investors from the Kingdom of Morocco to establish a fertilizer factory in Kenya, facilitating easier access to essential agricultural products for Kenyan farmers.
“The people of the Kingdom of Morocco are consumers of green tea. I will partner with stakeholders and market Kenya’s green tea and coffee, taking advantage of Africa’s Continental free trade area and utilizing the Ports of Tangier and Mombasa,” she said.
Gakinya’s appointment came a totally new approach where Kenya had for years been represented by Ali Bajaber as a consular at the Consulate making the work of Moroccan Ambassador to Kenya a near double two-way role.
It is also walking the talk after upon his assumption of office, President Ruto had declared his disapproval of the presence of Polisario in Nairobi.
The appointment of the Ambassador and a full-fledged embassy in Rabat by Nairobi has been seen in the diplomatic cycles as a major win for His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
In its forward, President Ruto has this to say about the new Foreign Policy. “This Foreign Policy document underscores Kenya’s steadfast trajectory towards prioritizing regional kintegration, deepening intra-African ties and elevating new Pan-Africanism even as we strengthen and expand our country’s global footprints.”
Tellingly, In recent times, Morocco has been hosting Kenyan delegations from different counties in a sustained people diplomacy where counties from Kenya partner with regions in Morocco for development exchange.
For instance, a recent Kenyan delegation led by the Governor Fatuma Achani of the Kwale County region to Dakhla. The visit provided the opportunity to explore business opportunities and to examine ways to strengthen and promote economic partnerships in various fields, which allowed for the signing of an MoU between the Council of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region and Kwale County.
In addition to the twinning programmes, Morocco has also extended development grants to nearly ten counties so far including Siaya, Kisumu, Lamu, Kwale among others that have gone a long way in supporting agriculture, water, health and areas of mutual interest and values.
This already successful endeavor is in tandem with the new Kenyan Foreign Policy especially the one on County governments that encourage international collaboration and investments into the counties.
The Kenya Constitution and the Intergovernmental Act of 2012 provides for latitude for county governments to collaborate with the national government in international matters as appropriately.
The Foreign Policy document is livid by stating that the County Government Investment Forum is a platform for attracting Foreign Direct Investment to the country.
His Majesty The King has had an able Ambassador Dr Abderrazzak Laassel who together with Ambassodor Gakinya have formed great synergy to deliver the shared values for the benefit of the two nations.
Nairobi change of heart and warming up to rabat comes at a time when Global leaders are making solid choices and recognizing Morocco’s territorial integrity with regards to Sahrawi or what is referred to as Western Sahara,
France, for instance, took this crucial diplomatic position to support and recognize Morocco’s legitimate historic claim to Western Sahara after many years of dilly-dallying and it has taken sustained diplomatic interventions to achieve.
It follows United States’ bold move to establish a consulate at Dakhla along the Atlantic coastline and a diplomatic coup against Algeria who have depended on France and other Western capitals to perpetuate the Polisario agenda with separatist’s ideologues.
Algeria has already reacted with a sledge hammer expelling Paris 15 diplomats from Algiers with France expected to hit back in a tit-for-tat retaliatory fashion.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had met with Moroccan Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita to convey his country’s unchanged position, declaring that the US still believes that the Autonomy Plan is the only feasible political solution to end the Sahara dispute.
The 18-year-old autonomy plan in 2022 already won the backing of the desert territory’s former occupier Spain who have a very cordial diplomatic relationship with only the Strait of Gibraltar between them.
Thus, President Ruto’s warming up to Rabat and giving Polisario a cold shoulder conforms with the growing international support for Morocco who considers Western Sahar her “Saharan Provinces” or “Moroccan Provinces”.
This claim is based on historical, cultural, and legal arguments including the march of liberation by Moroccans to free these provinces from Spanish occupation.
President Ruto’s diplomatic foray into Morocco is significant given Kenya’s own issue with her borders with Somalia along the Indian Ocean.
It informs Kenya’s support for territorial integrity in Africa that is very articulately reflected in the new Foreign Policy Document. Kenya has to stand up and be counted among those who respect the territorial integrity of nations.
As Kenya-Morocco relations thaw, it cannot escape the notice of a keen diplomat to see that Kenya has borrowed well from the successful management of diaspora affairs of the Kingdom of Morocco with Kenya having a new State Department of Diaspora Affairs under the Foreign Ministry.
