Kenyan President William Ruto has not always been seen as having a strong foreign and regional policy. But, 100 days into his first term, he can count several achievements: he has met with every head of state in the Horn of Africa, pledging collaboration to tackle persistent problems like conflict and famine, and business .
Dr. Ruto came to power in September of last year largely as an underdog with an unclear foreign policy. His predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, had risen from an isolated suspect in crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (where Dr. Ruto was also indicted) to a darling of the West due to her charisma and charm in addressing integration issues. and regional security.
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Yet this week, during a joint televised interview with the Kenyan media at Government House in Nairobi, President Ruto spoke passionately about his regional plan.
“They know that we are mobilizing the region as well as international support for our regional peace initiatives to make sure that our region is stable so that we can boost our economy,” he said Wednesday night. “I spoke with the president of Sudan (junta leader Lt. Gen. Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan) and agreed with him that it is time to have an Igad (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) meeting so that we help our brothers and sisters in the south Sudan.”
In his first 100 days, President Ruto held a marathon of talks and tours. He toured Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Egypt, DR Congo, South Sudan and Eritrea, completing a regional circuit. Outside the continent, he visited the United States and South Korea (he had been in the United Kingdom for Queen Elizabeth’s funeral).
At first glance, that alone can’t be a success, especially since leaders routinely meet to take pictures. But in the next 10 days, Dr. Ruto could assume the presidency of the Igad Summit, the regional bloc of the countries of the Horn of Africa.
diplomatic sources said East africa that President Ruto’s ambitions in Igad are twofold: to have an active rotating leadership that makes itself felt in the region and to readmit Eritrea. Asmara is technically a member of Igad, but has been boycotting meetings in protest of perceived bias against it.
“Isolating one member cannot solve the problems we face today. Our experience is that problems are solved if people discuss them and share ideas,” says a senior government official, speaking in the background, as the matter has yet to be raised with Igad leaders. “Whether it is Eritrea, Sudan or South Sudan, we say that we have common problems. We must work together.”
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The other members of Igad are Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti and Uganda. Currently presided over by Sudan, Igad has been unable to face a definite timetable of events as Khartoum still faces internal turmoil after the October 2021 coup that brought the ruling military elite to power. In fact, Sudan remains suspended from the African Union, which technically ties its hands in terms of playing regional roles.
The Igad Summit has not yet set a specific date but a source indicated that it will be the third week of January.
The Summit is meant to discuss the worrying clashes in South Sudan. But it could be Ruto’s project to lead a regional body: a diplomatic victory. However, it could benefit others.
visit to asmara
When the Kenyan leader visited Asmara on December 10, 2022 and met with President Isaias Afwerki, it was the first sign of Kenya’s intention to re-enter Eritrea in the regional mold. Before that, President Isaias held talks with Sudanese and Somali leaders and was accused of sending troops to Ethiopia to attack Tigrayan civilians, for which Eritrea was roundly condemned by the West.
After his trip to Asmara, President Ruto traveled to Washington for the US-Africa Summit, where he called on the US to “craft a win-win formula with Africa.”
In a speech at a side event, Dr. Ruto said that Africa should no longer be seen just as a market, but as an investment destination. But he added a caveat: Cooperation with Africa may not work if it is based on selective criteria, especially since most of Africa’s problems are interrelated. He called for support for the AU Agenda 2063, a collective vision for a prosperous, more integrated and peaceful continent.
Also read: Ruto promises to play a key role in EAC affairs
Three weeks later, Eritrean troops that had been trapped in Tigray began to leave the front lines, a critical condition that has led to reconstruction in the war-torn Ethiopian region.
Dr. Monica Juma, Kenya’s National Security Adviser, said at the time that Nairobi sees each part of the Horn as linked to the other.
“Kenya’s commitment to deepening regional cooperation is strong and critical to the administration of President William Ruto. Because our stability and prosperity are inextricably linked to each and every one of our neighbors,” he tweeted after Sudanese military leaders signed a pact to resume transitional government talks with civilian movements.
“Kenya reaffirms its continued solidarity and support for these peaceful initiatives, the success of which will ensure the development of our region. Our commitment to a peaceful and secure region is firm because our destiny is inextricably linked.”
President Ruto says Kenya’s benefits go beyond the Horn. He said that he will continue to support peace efforts in Somalia, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as regional peace and stability are key to Kenya’s stability.
“As you know, Kenya has the largest economy in this region and we have a great interest in the stability of this region,” he said on Wednesday. “If this region is unstable, the biggest hit will be to our economy.”
commercial interests
Dr. Ruto expressed his intention to have a presence on the regional front, saying that the presence of Kenyan troops in eastern DRC was part of the regional plan to ensure peace there.
“I am in constant conversation with the President of the DRC (Felix Tshisekedi) as we have our own soldiers in the DRC. We are supporting the stabilization of that region. Both Uganda and South Sudan have soldiers to pacify the region. So regional peace is a very important component of our economy.”
Some observers think Dr. Ruto’s project may be too early to call, though the motivation is clear: commercial interests.
“I think it’s still in time-will-tell mode at this point. Because there is not enough evidence of an increase in Kenyan business in the DRC (for example),” said Dr. Hawa Noor, a research associate at the Institute for Intercultural and International Studies at the University of Bremen.
“Of course, the ultimate goal is to stop the war, but it is fair to judge KDF’s involvement with commercial interests in the rear. Ruto’s administration is also optimistic that international partners will help settle the score… another reason to get involved. In other words, it’s anything (business) but an altruistic gesture to stop the war.”
Read: Kenya: Why we deployed our troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Upon assuming the presidency, Dr. Ruto retained his predecessor Kenyatta as peace envoy to the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa, allowing the former president to continue to chair the regional peace efforts he led while in office. can.
“In addition, we need to pacify this region so that we, as the East African Community, can become a real market for our products,” the president explained. “We are having a great conversation about the industrial city of Naivasha, about our manufacturing, about all the other facilities that we are working on. Those products have to be exported somewhere.”
He said that Kenya requires a market for its agricultural products and the EAC is ideally suited to provide that market.
“We are looking at how we grow our agriculture, processing our tea or coffee, where are we selling this product? We have to be interested in creating that.”
One foreign policy expert suggested that Dr. Ruto might not be a rookie after all, since he has been in politics since the days of President Daniel Moi, a man who helped him rise in politics.
“Moi was not just a Kenyan president, he was also driven by a desire to be seen as an African statesman. Maybe Ruto learned something from him. As the president of Kenya, the weight of him must be felt around him, especially if the houses of his neighbors are not in order,” said the expert, who declined to be named because he is still a consultant to the government.
Moi used to describe Kenya as an island of peace, having enjoyed stability for most of his long one-party rule. A peaceful region, the expert argued, avoids the burden of hosting refugees. Dr. Ruto’s role, he argued, may also be a subtle tool of the West, which is now more afraid of being seen ordering African countries around.
“You can take your brother’s advice more easily than someone lecturing you from abroad.”
On Somalia, the president said he was willing to work with current leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to ensure peace and the successful fight against al Shabaab.
“We are not only working with the president of Somalia, we are very happy that it is now consolidating even with the regional presidents of Somalia, so that together we attack the al Shabaab threat,” Ruto said. “We are very happy that we at least have some synergy and agreement. And we have taken the position that al Shabaab is as much a problem for Somalia as it is for us. We cannot afford to look the other way. We cannot afford to walk away. We have to deal with that challenge.”
