Nearly a month after Kenya officially voiced support for Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, the Polisario's main ally in Nairobi has resurfaced. On Thursday, June 19, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetangula, met with the Polisario's representative in Kenya. «Today, I hosted His Excellency Mohamed-Liman Ali Ami, the Ambassador of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, who paid me a courtesy call at my office at Parliament Buildings», Wetangula posted. «Our discussions focused on strengthening the bilateral relationship between our two nations and exploring ways to deepen diplomatic engagement for the mutual benefit of our citizens. I assured the Ambassador that Kenya, as a committed member of the African Union (AU), stands in solidarity with the Sahrawi Republic and remains steadfast in supporting and safeguarding its interests as a sovereign state», he added. Wetangula is widely seen as the Polisario's key ally within the Kenyan government. According to an October 2022 report by the South African-based Institute for Security Studies, Wetangula, a former foreign minister, played a pivotal role in convincing President William Ruto to delete a tweet posted on September 14, 2022, in which he had announced Kenya's withdrawal of recognition of the «SADR». Wetangula is a powerful political figure in Kenya. He heads the FORD-Kenya party, a member of the Kenya Kwanza coalition that backed Ruto's successful 2022 presidential bid. Just weeks after Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch met with President Ruto in Dakar on January 26, 2023, Wetangula traveled to Algeria, where he met with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and reaffirmed his support for the Polisario. He reiterated this position again in November 2023, after several African political leaders signed the «Tangier Appeal» calling for the expulsion of the «SADR» from the African Union. Following a meeting with the Polisario representative in Nairobi, Wetangula stated, «I reassured him of my support, noting their membership in the AU, akin to our shared responsibility.» In contrast, during a working visit to Morocco in late May, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi declared that «the Republic of Kenya considers the autonomy plan as the only sustainable approach to resolving the Sahara issue and intends to collaborate with states sharing this vision to promote its implementation». Just one day after that statement, Wetangula hosted the Algerian ambassador in Nairobi. Presidential and legislative elections in Kenya are scheduled for August 2027.
