Kenya's foreign policy and role in regional geopolitics
After becoming president, Kenyatta's first official trips outside Africa were to Russia and China. Does this signify a shift in foreign policy?
Date: 2014-12-09
Time: 09:00 to 12:30
Venue: Conference room
, ISS Nairobi
, Braeside Gardens
, off Muthangari Road
, Map
RSVP: Samira Yusuf
Phone: +254 728 607642
Email: [email protected]
In his inauguration speech on 9 April 2013, President Uhuru Kenyatta stated that Kenya’s future depended not only on its national unity but also on deepening bonds with ‘brothers and sisters in East Africa and Africa as a whole’.
Kenyatta followed up on this assertion with regional visits to Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Nigeria and South Africa. The President also visited China and Russia in his first official trips outside Africa.
These choices raised debate on whether or not this signified a shift in Kenya’s foreign policy away from its traditional Western allies. This seminar will consider the country’s foreign policy and what changes have taken place under the Jubilee government. It will also examine Kenya’s role in regional geopolitics.
Chair: Peter Aling'o, Head, ISS Nairobi and Senior Researcher, Governance, Crime and Justice Division
Speakers:
- Dr Kisiangani Emmanuel, Senior Researcher, ISS Nairobi
- Gichira Kibara, Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs, Kenya
- Prof Edward Kisiangani, Senior Lecturer, Kenyatta University
