Kenya faces US threat for praising China’s role in ‘new world order’

Kenya has become the latest country in a high-stakes geopolitical struggle between the US and China after Washington threatened to revoke Nairobi’s Major Non-Nato Ally status.

The tension escalated following a state visit to Beijing in April, when President William Ruto secured landmark infrastructure and trade deals and publicly praised China’s role in what he called a “new world order”. This provoked a backlash from the United States, which has launched a review of the ally status.

The status, granted in 2024, gives Kenya preferential access to a range of military and economic benefits, including US defence contracts and joint training opportunities. It was part of Washington’s strategy to counter Chinese and Russian influence in the region.

Now, the US is leveraging the non-Nato status to express its frustration with Kenya’s deepening ties to China, Kenya’s largest bilateral lender which has financed infrastructure projects from railways to highways in the country.

The review, to be conducted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio within 90 days, demands a detailed breakdown of Kenya’s military, political and financial engagements with China, including its participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and its long-term financial dependence on China.