NATO NABS KENYA

While several African countries, especially those in the Sahel, are breaking away from Western influence and exploring new partnerships—such as Burkina Faso’s potential pivot toward BRICS and rejection of exploitative aid—Kenya, under President William Ruto, has doubled down on its Western alignment. Nowhere is this clearer than in Kenya’s controversial leadership of the US-backed police mission to Haiti. 

Despite vocal opposition from Kenyan citizens and widespread calls to decolonise the East African nation, Ruto’s government sent hundreds of Kenyan police officers to Haiti, leading a mission that remains dangerously under-resourced and unable to counter Haiti’s powerful gangs that are reportedly backed by the Haitian bourgeoisie. Critics argue that the government is risking Kenyan lives for a US imperial project, with little to show for it but mounting criticism at home and abroad. Just looking at the anti-police protests in Kenya’s streets these past few weeks indicates the neo-colonial government’s troubles.

Yet, when Ruto realised the US was not a true partner, especially as promised support for the Haiti mission fell short, he attempted to pivot toward China, making a high-profile visit that signalled Nairobi’s search for alternatives and drew condemnation from Washington.

A year ago, we shared this skit asking what Kenya gains and what it loses by siding with the West. Today, that question remains pertinent. Kenya’s new foreign policy, approved in early 2025, claims to safeguard sovereignty and promote prosperity. Still, it remains shaped by the very pressures that have sparked unrest across the continent, namely geopolitical competition and Western economic demands.

As African nations redefine their place in the world, is Kenya being used as a pawn in global power plays? African Stream’s Wambura Mwai, Ahmed Kaballo and Erick Gavala star, respectively, as Kenya, the US-led NATO bloc and the China-Russia axis! 

Enjoy the show, and let us know if you think Kenya’s foreign policy is just old actors reading new scripts.