Madaraka Day is ritually celebrated every June 1. It’s the day Kenya attained internal self-rule from Britain, in 1963, and began the arduous match to restore Kenya’s diplomatic rights. The recent shift from conventional diplomacy, after 60 years of concerted effort, has caused controversy, and sometimes embarrassment.
The contention is embodied in two pertinent questions. One, where is Kenya today on the geopolitical stage? Secondly, has Kenya achieved 'Pivot State' status, as envisaged at Independence, to withstand the era of the 'New Cold War'?
A pivot state according to the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies is a country “that possess military, economic or ideational strategic assets that are coveted by great powers”. This query of a pivot state has arisen because of Kenya’s stand on the Ukraine crisis.
Since the crisis started in February 2022, the United Nations General Assembly has held five significant votes on the matter, as of March 2023. All targeting Russia. Kenya voted Yes on all the resolutions. However, Kenya’s immediate neighbours – Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia – abstained or were absent.
We need to actualise a simple hypothesis. The die is cast on Ukraine, and the votes don’t matter. The Ukraine saga is synonymous with the Korean situation where the country was split by creating a Northern Limit Line and a 10-kilometre-wide demilitarised zone. The ongoing battles, inside Ukraine, are to determine where that Line will be drawn.
For the record, Kenya is not, yet, a pivot state, and it would be a tragedy if Kenya got entangled in geopolitical tensions and hegemonic power struggles.
In regard to Kenya’s position on the geopolitical stage, Kenya is ambivalent about whether to Act East or Look West. This was not a challenge when Kenya gained full independence from Britain on December 12, 1963.
President Jomo Kenyatta recognised the fluid nature of international relations and diversified alliance portfolios. He resisted external influences that could threaten Kenya’s sovereignty. He found solace in value-based diplomacy, soft power and multilateralism.
As a Pan-Africanist, he built strong relations with other newly independent African nations. The intention was to exorcise the 1884 Berlin Conference evil spirits and achieve Pax Africana.
This is now on course, and if the momentum is maintained, the world may witness a historic first for the African continent: the formation of an indigenous, post-Cold War, post-Pax Americana security framework.
The foundation laid by Kenyatta, sustained by President Moi and reinforced by President Kibaki, has delivered three great achievements.
Today, Kenya is the home of UNON-one of the four UN headquarters in the world, and the only one outside the US and EU. This was achieved through a masterstroke of diplomacy, after 23 years of consultations. But we should not rest on our laurels. There have been attempts to relocate UNON to Asia.
Secondly, Kenya has established strong economic ties with the East. Today, China is Kenya’s leading trade partner, followed by India (both countries abstained from the UNGA votes on Ukraine). These are countries with useful development experience, which is beneficial to Kenya. Unlike the West, their wealth is not amassed from the exploitation of slaves or the looting of colonies.
Third, Kenya has remained an active member of the 144-member strong Non-Aligned Movement; a strength that has helped Kenya to gain credibility globally. The neutrality and non-alignment postures have elevated Kenya’s prestige and trust within the UN fraternity, leading to the election of Kenya to serve in the UNSC, five times. There are 31 countries that have never been elected to serve in the UNSC.
Finally, Kenya shall rise to a pivot state through pragmatic diplomacy, strengthening of conventional diplomacy, and expanding the network of mutually beneficial allies, as it has endeavoured to do in the last 60 years. Diplomacy is different from gambling.
First Kenyan Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (2009-2014)
