Interior Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing'Oei on Wednesday, May 3, dismissed claims that Kenya was leaning towards the US and ditching China.
Defending the recent engagements between President William Ruto's administration, Korir argued that the 2010 Promulgated Constitution allowed the government to engage with development partners depending on specific interests.
Korir thus explained that Kenya and US agendas aligned, necessitating striking of the new deals struck between the two nations between September 2022 to April 2023.
"We look neither East nor West, we look forward. Our constitution predisposes us as a country regarding who to relate with best. Openness and democracy are values that predispose us to work very closely with countries that are democratic, just like ourselves.
"That defines why we are very close to the United States, it is because we have certain shared fundamental values," Korir explained.
Despite the deepening relations between President Ruto and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, Korir insisted that China was still considered a critical development partner for Kenya.
The foreign affairs PS noted that Kenya was engaging Beijing in addressing various economic challenges. He further appreciated the Chinese government arguing that it was among the biggest infrastructure investor in the country. Thika Superhighway, the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) and Nairobi Expressway are among the projects financed by Chinese companies.
"But in the same vein, we are a very practical, pragmatic country. In that regard, we are very attracted to the idea of China providing and working with us on practical solutions to deal with some of the economic challenges that we may have," Sing'oei stated.
"I have seen huge investments by China by now in infrastructure and other areas and Kenya wants to build a friendship with countries that can make a contribution to our values to deepen our democratic credibility at our democratic systems but more fundamentally to grow our economy and enable our people to become more empowered," he insisted.
However, Korir maintained that Ruto's administration was open to working with all the development partners. According to the CS, future engagements will follow the United Nations Charter.
"We will continue to forge friendships East or West, but on matters of principle, we will be able to stand very steadfastly on the principles of the United Nations Charter and on that, I think we will be unswayed," he observed.
Korir's sentiments came after China Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin denied claims that Beijing had trapped Kenya with debts.
Wang indicated that China was helping Kenya address poverty and bolster development.
"China is not the source of debt trap for African countries, but a partner lifting them out of a poverty trap," Wang stated.
Before the 2022 General Election, the Kenya Kwanza administration spoke against China, accusing it of debt-trapping the nation. Foreign affairs experts argue that Ruto may be looking at the West in attempts to reevaluate Kenya's foreign policy.
“Much of this is about trade revenues – the US is the largest export destination for Kenyan goods and there is a far more even trading relationship than with China. China is Kenya’s largest source of imports by some distance but there is a huge imbalance when compared to exports,” Fergus Kell, a Kenya expert at Chatham House, UK, stated in December 2022.
John Gachie, a foreign affairs expert, further told Kenyans.co.ke, that each foreign country has interests, whether political, economic, social or democratic, in a host nation. This could be seen in US Ambassador Meg Whitman's letter on Kenya.
In February 2023, the ambassador revealed President Joe Biden's trust in the current administration, stating that the US was confident in Ruto's leadership.
