President William Ruto on Thursday, January 18, announced plans to engage East Africa Heads of State to end the diplomatic tiff that has engulfed the region in the last two months.
According to a statement from State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohammed, the meetings will commence on Friday in Uganda, running concurrently with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting and the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.
“The President will also hold bilateral meetings with various Heads of State and leaders aimed at strengthening diplomatic ties and underscoring Kenya's role in regional and global affairs,” the statement read in part.
The meeting comes at an opportune time when Kenya is losing its standing as a regional diplomatic powerhouse.
Kenya has of late been embroiled in a diplomatic tiff with some of the neighbouring countries including Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had earlier announced that his country would stop importing fuel through Kenya Oil Marketing Companies (OMC). Kenya on its part refused to issue Uganda with an import licence forcing Museveni’s administration to file a case at the East African Court of Justice.
East Africa Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza on January 12, stated that Museveni and Ruto would hold meetings to end the diplomatic war. Her statement coincided with Museveni's declaration that he was open for talks rather than retaliating as pressured by his lawmakers.
"There is already a seating that has been earmarked when the President will be meeting the other heads of state so that they can discuss the whole agenda," Malonza stated.
In the case of Tanzania, tensions escalated on Monday, January 15, when the EAC member state suspended Kenya Airways flights. The situation was resolved in under 24 hours with Kenya allowing Air Tanzania cargo flights as part of the truce.
Despite the temporary truce, Ruto will be keen on meeting his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu to end the simmering tensions.
President Ruto is unlikely to meet Sudan military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan after the general cut ties with IGAD on Wednesday, January 17. Al-Burhan regretted that Ruto and other Heads of State had invited his nemesis General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo for the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.
Ruto is also expected to address tensions between Kenya and Rwanda after his Transport Cabinet Secretary was accused of condemning Rwanda's President Paul Kagame for allegedly ruling with an iron fist.
Murkomen, who had argued that Rwanda was an autocracy, nonetheless dismissed censures made against him and clarified that he backed the leadership style which has made the country one of East Africa's fastest-growing nations.
