Kenya's ambassador to Morocco, Jessica Muthoni Gakinya, has made a landmark visit to Laâyoune, leading a delegation of Kenyan business and investment representatives, in a move that signals a potential shift in Kenya's stance on the Sahara issue. This visit, amid a flurry of diplomatic exchanges between Morocco and Kenya, highlights a growing recognition of Morocco's economic sovereignty in the region. Kenya's ambassador to Morocco, Jessica Muthoni Gakinya, who has been based in Rabat since March 2024, recently visited Laâyoune. Arriving last night in the regional capital, she led a delegation that included representatives from Kenyan businesses, banks, and the investment agency. On Friday, November 14, the ambassador and her team met with Abdessalam Bikrate, the wali of the Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region. Moroccan officials provided the delegation with an overview of the major economic initiatives the kingdom has launched in the region. This visit comes amid a surge in high-level exchanges between Moroccan and Kenyan officials. On Thursday, November 13, Mohamed Abdennabaoui, the first president of the Court of Cassation and deputy president of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ), held discussions with Renson Ingonga, Kenya's director of public prosecutions. Three weeks earlier, Morocco's Minister of Transport and Logistics, Abdessamad Kayouh, had met in Rabat with Hassan Ali Joho, Kenya's Minister of Mines, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs. A gesture of recognition towards the kingdom's economic sovereignty Gakinya's visit to Laâyoune marks a pivotal moment in Kenya's position on the Sahara issue, signaling an unofficial recognition of Morocco's economic sovereignty. France had previously taken a similar stance before President Emmanuel Macron decided to follow the lead of his American counterpart, Donald Trump, expressing this position in a letter addressed on July 30, 2024, to King Mohammed VI. The European Union is currently adopting the same approach, having concluded an agricultural agreement with the kingdom that includes products from the Sahara and is engaged in negotiations with Rabat for a new fishing protocol. In Kenya, however, the Polisario and Algeria enjoy considerable support. Moses Wetangula, Speaker of the House of Representatives and an influential figure in Kenyan politics, is the leader of the FORD Kenya party, part of the Kenya Kwanza coalition that backed William Ruto's candidacy in 2022. Three weeks after the Kenyan government officially announced its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan, Wetangula met with the Polisario representative in Nairobi. «I assured the Ambassador that Kenya, as a committed member of the African Union, stands in solidarity with the Sahrawi Republic and remains determined to support and defend its interests as a sovereign state», he stated on social media. As a reminder, following the meeting on January 26, 2023, in Dakar between Aziz Akhannouch and President William Ruto, Wetangula traveled to Algeria, where he was received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and reiterated his support for the Polisario.
