Analysis of Kenya’s Political Interests Toward China, 2013- 2022

Abstract

This study examines Kenya’s political interests toward China between 2013 and 2022. The study adopted the longitudinal research design because China’s engagement with Kenya is long term processes that can only be explained through time and space. The study argues that Kenya managed to wide its diplomatic space to manoeuvre in its engagement with the China, consequently upscaling its engagement with China from Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership. This broadening and deepening of the engagement has seen China move gradually from its traditional principle of non-interference into growing interest in Kenya’s security sector, with configured with political elites’ interests to learn political and economic experience. Arising from the study findings, it is recommended as follows: First, recognizing that the diplomatic space may narrow at any time, the Kenyan government need to develop concrete policy framework to engage Chinese actors. Second, the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership should be people-centred as opposed to elite centred. Third, given the complex of security sector in the East African Region, China should partner with other international partners in the region. Fourth, the learning and lesson drawing should be extended to the political parties’ regulator/key institution- the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties- involved in oversighting of political parties. Firth, the learning process and period should be extended, say to six months, so that there is meaningful learning between Chinese and Kenyan actors.