Winning Hearts and Minds Abroad or at Home? Kenya’s Foreign Policy under William Ruto

In multilateral forums like the COP27 and 28, the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, and the Africa Climate Summit, Ruto has spoken out in favour of the Loss and Damage agenda, according to which industrialised na- tions should be expected to pay for the cost of environmentally harmful practices. [...] During the election campaign, members of the Western diplomatic community sporadically raised concerns about the foreign policy style that they expected from Ruto.13 Indeed, he had been indicted by the International Criminal Court for his role in the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya and during the trial, Ruto had been highly critical of the insistence of Western states, particularly the UK, US. [...] The Africa Climate Summit was accompanied by civil society protests against US influence and the dominant role of McKinsey & Company, a consulting firm per- ceived to be driving Western agendas, and its focus on the controversial issue of global car- bon trading.20 Opposition politicians claimed that “Ruto is busy promoting the climate agenda for the US, UK, and the EU, which is designed to block. [...] Moreover, some delegates expressed discontent in the fact that the AU, despite co- hosting the event, played only a minor role in preparing the Summit.29 A number of other foreign policy decisions made by the Kenyan government have dis- gruntled political actors in the region. [...] Kenyans expect the govern- ment to exploit the economic benefits of a multipolar world; bloc-thinking is unpopular and the government is likely to increase efforts to dispel the impression that it is overly accom- modating to Western political interests.