Why Kenya’s foreign influence is waning

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Somalia President Abdullahi Farmajo when they met in Nairobi to discuss the maritime dispute. [COURTESY]

At a time the diaspora remittances have become the top foreign exchange earner, it is ironic that Kenya’s foreign policy is on the decline. 

Gone is the golden era of diplomacy when Kenya was at peak performance in her foreign policy. Kenya was then the “island of peace” in a “sea of turbulence”, a generous host of thousands of refugees from Uganda, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda and the Congo.

Kenya was then a country of reference, not only in Africa but also internationally. Of late, Kenya has had frosty relations with her East African neighbours. Uganda’s decision to work more with Tanzania on crucial infrastructure is a clear indication of this.

President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania has been at the forefront to cool the tempers between Kenya and Tanzania. To the east, Kenya has had serious squabbles with Somalia over the maritime dispute, Kenya’s soldiers in Somalia, among others. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kenya scored very high in military diplomacy when it sent soldiers for peacekeeping missions to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Croatia, Lebanon, Congo and Namibia.

Today, KDF’s image internationally has been dented by allegations of corruption, especially in Somalia, and in Kenya. On the cultural front, Kenya has been a world-beater in athletics for many years. Kenya’s academia has been part of ground-breaking discoveries. Kenya has even donated a president to the USA!

However, this lustre has been sullied by a combination of corruption, doping and other crimes. President Uhuru Kenyatta tried to rejuvenate this front by beginning his presidency with a whirlwind of world tours and hosting the world’s who-is-who. But there seems to be a vacuum as his officials are either not enthusiastic or are clueless on how to leverage on this to expand Kenya’s sphere of influence.

Perhaps we need former Foreign Affairs Minister Kalonzo Musyoka to give our foreign office a few tips. The ministry should ensure they recruit people with enthusiasm, capabilities and knowledge on matters of foreign policy to Kenya’s embassies abroad.