The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reacted to Kenyans seeking answers after it emerged that Kenya has granted immunity and privileges to yet another foreign company, the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA).
In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei denied claims that the government's decision was a result of external pressures, as had been alluded to by some outlets.
"I have noted media reports touching on the grant of Host Country Status to the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA), an international non-governmental organisation based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with Regional offices in Nairobi, dedicated to accelerating climate adaptation solutions globally," Sing'oei stated.
"The imputation, therefore, that the Host Country Agreement to the Global Centre on Adaptation was granted as a result of external political pressure is without any foundation," he added.
According to the PS, the Ministry had followed all the processes mandated by the Privileges and Immunities Act to negotiate and conclude the Host Country Agreement with the Dutch firm.
In addition to managing diplomatic privileges and immunities within the nation, he claimed that the Ministry is in charge of doing this with external agencies and intergovernmental organisations.
The process kicked off on July 27, 2025, when the Ministry received a request for consideration for a grant of Host Country Agreement (HCA) from GCA to facilitate the establishment and operation of GCA's regional office in Nairobi.
This was meant to lend support to the country's climate diplomacy and green growth agenda.
Almost two years later, on April 20, 2025, the review process was crystallised when the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs signed Legal Notice No. 82, granting privileges and immunities to GCA and its internationally recruited staff.
On September 30, 2025, Parliament ratified the decision to grant GCA's Host Country Status, following submission of the request, stakeholder hearings, and public participation as mandated by section 17 of the Act, according to the PS.
As such, Sing'oei maintained that the privileges conferred to the firm were not special, as there had been similar privileges conferred to over 170 other non-state Entities providing technical assistance in Kenya since 1984.
All these entities receive several privileges, including tax exemption on specific goods relevant to the organisation's functioning, protection from legal suits with respect to good faith actions of the organisation and work permits, an assertion that has not sat well with several Kenyans.
These firms include, among others, Oxfam, Save the Children, the Union of Radio and Television Africa, the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience organisation, the World Wide Fund for Nature, the International Cooperative Alliance, the Centre for African Family Studies, International Planned Parenthood, and the Lutheran World Federation.
