The Republic of Kenya has endorsed Morocco's autonomy plan for the Sahara as the most credible solution to the regional dispute. This position was formalised during the first session of the Morocco-Kenya Joint Cooperation Commission held on Thursday in Nairobi, co-chaired by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Dr. Musalia Mudavadi. In the resulting Joint Communiqué, Kenya welcomed what it described as a growing international consensus around the Moroccan proposal and affirmed its intention to work with like-minded nations to advance its implementation. Kenya also endorsed the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to facilitate negotiations based on the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty. The statement referenced UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which recognises the autonomy plan as the foundation for a just and lasting resolution. Morocco's Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted Kenya's support for the UN framework as the exclusive path to a political solution. Over 110 UN member states now back the Moroccan autonomy initiative, while more than 20 countries have opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla.
Dr. Musalia Mudavadi's endorsement of Morocco's Sahara autonomy plan during the Nairobi talks reveals Kenya's strategic alignment with a diplomatic position increasingly promoted across Africa and Europe. This is not a neutral diplomatic gesture but a calculated foreign policy move that positions Kenya within a bloc of states backing Morocco's territorial claims, despite the long-standing complexity of the Western Sahara conflict.
Kenya's stance mirrors a broader shift in African and global diplomacy, where economic and political partnerships are increasingly influencing positions on contested sovereignty issues. By supporting a plan endorsed by over 110 UN members and affirmed in Security Council Resolution 2797, Kenya aligns itself with a growing international current, one bolstered by recent backing from European nations and the EU's unified position. The opening of more than 20 consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla underscores the gradual normalisation of Morocco's presence in the region.
For African nations navigating post-colonial disputes, Kenya's position sets a precedent where pragmatic diplomacy may outweigh historical solidarity. It signals that regional leadership is now as much about strategic alignment as it is about principle.
