On the Independence Day of Ukraine, I have a special message for all Kenyans.
We really want all of you to know that for as long as the Ukrainian nation shall exist, we Ukrainians will have a special place in our hearts for Kenya.
We will not forget that Kenya is among those countries that took the lead in opposing the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine’s sovereign territory by Russia. And Kenya did so at a time when it was not yet clear how much support in terms of equipment, military technology, or finance Ukraine would receive from its partners.
We will not forget the words of Kenya’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr Martin Kimani, who said in his now globally famous speech before the Security Council on February 22, 2022:
“We meet tonight on the brink of a major conflict in Ukraine. The diplomacy we urged on the 17th of February is failing. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine stands breached…In the last two meetings on the situation in Ukraine, and the build up of forces by the Russian Federation, Kenya urged that diplomacy be given a chance. Our cry was not heeded and, more importantly, the Charter’s demand for states to settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and justice are not endangered has been profoundly undermined.”
And we will not forget that ordinary Kenyan citizens showed their support and sympathy by making donations to a fund set up with by the Embassy to raise money to help those who are most in need back in my country, Ukraine.
And speaking of the media, we will not forget the willingness shown by the free and vibrant media here in Kenya to provide us with space to make our case against the Russian aggressor who has temporarily occupied parts of Ukraine. This has enabled us to expose the lies and false allegations made by various Russian officials, even here in Kenya, and to make the truth known to Kenyans about the situation in my country.
For all this, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Such a show of sympathy and support is not easily forgotten. And Ukrainians will not forget it.
Now I have been in Kenya long enough to have made friends. And when I mentioned to one of my friends that I would be writing an Op-Ed to submit to local newspapers to mark our Independence Day, I also asked him what I should focus on.
He told me that I should answer two questions. First, when will Ukraine resume exports of its very affordable fertilisers and grain to Kenya. Second, when will this terrible war end.
To answer the first, we should remind that from the first day of the invasion Russian troops aimed at farms, agriculture machinery and grain storages. Russian inhuman leadership tried to create a food crisis on purpose – to achieve its neocolonial goals.
To have a chance to prevent a global catastrophe, on July 23, 2022, Ukraine, with the support of Turkiye and UN, signed an agreement on the safe transportation of grain from three Ukrainian seaports. By the time of publication of this article, a number of ships full of grain have already left our ports and are going to the ports of different countries, including Africa.
We will continue working together with Kenya authorities to resume the export to Kenya in full of Ukrainian fertilisers and grain to avert potential food crisis.
And as for when the war will end, I believe it will end when Russian troops will get back to their country and no longer occupy a single inch of sovereign Ukrainian territory.
So, as we mark our Independence Day (and notice I say that we are “marking” our Independence Day, not “celebrating” it, since it is not time for celebration yet) I ask for your continued support. Because we have no intention of giving up.
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