President William Ruto has revealed that he is willing to work with all countries regardless of geopolitical alliances even after his just-concluded state visit to the United States.
Ruto who was appearing for an interview on CNN was answering a question on which country he would give priority in terms of partnering in investments between China and the U.S.
In his response, the President affirmed that Kenya is ready to open doors for investments regardless of the country involved.
“Many people want to pull us into a conversation of whether we are facing East or West,” he stated.
“We’re neither facing west nor east, we’re facing forward because this is where our opportunities are,” he told CNN’s Richard Quest while insisting that decisions about which countries to partner with are based purely on the opportunities available.
His assertion came shortly after the United States government announced plans to designate Kenya as its first major non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa as President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed President Ruto.
Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have both the legal obligation and the benefit of defending each other against the rise of a common enemy
Non- Nato Benefits
Kenya now being a major non-Nato ally will enjoy some major privileges as members. This includes enhanced trade cooperation, supply of equipment and for cooperative research.
Kenya will also be funded for the procurement of modern defense equipment and other counter-terrorism research and development projects.
Also Read: What Ruto, Obama Discussed During Closed-Door Meeting
Recent ties with US have over time raised questions on which direction Kenya was taking in terms of diplomatic relations, with analysts noting that President Ruto could be charting a path away from the over a decade-long close ties with China.
Kenya relations with the east
Since its independence from the British colonial rule in 1963, Kenya has significantly diversified its international relations with the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States.
In the 2010s, China overtook other nations in terms of investments in Africa as manifested in the tangible infrastructural projects undertaken not only in Kenya but also in other parts of the continent.
Between 2006 and 2017 Kenya had a large financial debt of at least Ksh1043.77 billion from China.
In 2019 China had already accounted for 72% of Kenya’s overall foreign Debt.
Kenya Relations with the West
Kenya and the US now have signed a multi-billion-shilling deal to construct the Nairobi-Mombasa Expressway named the Usahihi Expressway.
The Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) inked a KSh 478.3 billion deal with US-based private equity Everstrong Capital LLC to commence construction, which will take 3-4 years.
Also Read: Wamuchomba Questions RutoS & Ksh471 B Expressway, Picks Areas U.S. Aid Should Focus
Ruto’s affordable housing scheme is another project which received a share of KSh 23.9 billion.
The funding is under the KSh 33.2 billion new investment funding by the US through the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
The deal adds up DFC’s total financing portfolio in Kenya to KSh 132.6 billion.
The US also committed KSh 477.6 million to finance the connection of clean electricity to more homes, businesses, and institutions in Kenya.
US company Virunga Power announced a KSh 13.3 billion deal to finance hydropower projects in Kenya for the next five years.
These among other deals are the ones which have triggered reactions on whether Kenya under President Ruto has shifted completely to the West (US) and neglected the East (China).
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