PRAGMATIC…OR PARTNER OR PUPPET? Is Ruto America’s new point man for Africa?

President William Ruto’s high-profile diplomatic engagements with top world leaders have highlighted his camaraderie with the West, which is reciprocating in spades.

But there is increasing criticism from some Kenyan foreign policy observers who say he’s sending mixed signals – about Pan-Africanism, nonalignment and the East-West divide.

The head of state is pragmatic and believes in making friends.

Ruto’s diplomatic charm offensive has for the first time exposed the country’s departure from one-time non-aligned diplomacy to not just embracing Europe and America but also sending mixed signals.

Tellingly, Ruto is expected to jet out of the country for a grand trip to China, one of the world’s powerful states with massive footprints in Africa, especially in the infrastructural sector, which America is trying to undo.

Critics say Ruto’s inaugural trip to China would further expose his double-speak on his self-proclaimed Pan-African credentials just as his realpolitik diplomacy was evident during his 10-day tour of America.

The President has made significant visits to the United States – twice since his election last year – creating a cosy partnership with the world’s foremost superpower. Critics warn he is morphing into a puppet of the West.

Political diplomacy analyst and Horn of Africa observer Aden Shuriye told the Star America is obviously building Ruto into their own ‘point man for the continent’, although the President’s signals are mixed.

“Ruto’s two trips to America have seen red carpet reception and engagement with key policymakers in President Joe Biden’s administration,” Shuriye said.

It is no coincidence that the American ambassador to Kenya is showering Ruto with praise and connecting him to American investors, he said.

The analyst, who is also a university don, also attributed America’s acceptance of Ruto’s administration to his government’s acceptance of US policies, including rights for the LGBTQ community.

Analysts said Ruto’s growing influence on the global stage – propelled by a solid endorsement by American President Joe Biden – positions him as the US’s new favoured leader for Africa.

On Thursday, former Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka acknowledged that the US has embraced Ruto because of Kenya’s strategic location as the region’s anchor state.

The Kisii senator, however, warned the President against making diplomatic missteps and sending mixed signals that could damage his image within the diplomatic circles.

“My only problem with Ruto is that he keeps sending mixed signals and that creates uncertainty about his commitment to his diplomatic engagements,” Onyonka told the Star.

He said Ruto could mellow into America’s blue-eyed boy for Africa if he will “smooth the rough edges”.

The senator cited Kenya’s decision to welcome overtures from Russia and Iran as some indications that Ruto’s foreign policy needs a bit more subtlety to avoid causing confusion.

“Ruto has taken a position away from Kenya’s traditional position of being a non-aligned and neutral country in whichever engagements he holds with the East, Europe or America,” Onyonka said.

“His mistake is that he keeps making diplomatic gaffes that indicate either he is not listening to his technocrats or listening to himself.”

Kenya is seen as a strategic country, playing a key role in the search for peace and security in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa where key European countries are actively engaged.

Nairobi is actively involved in stabilising parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi as well as playing a role in the stability of Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan.

On Thursday, policy analyst Javas Bigambo termed Ruto a strategic leader who is pushing to grab global attention by focusing on issues that resonate with the African continent.

“It is no doubt President Ruto, perhaps the latest to arrive at the global stage, is setting himself apart by taking a strong position on issues of global concern, including climate change financing and financial restructuring,” he said.

Bigambo observed that Ruto has already won big in his efforts to attract investments to Nairobi through American Ambassador Meg Whitman’s bidding for Kenya through a very rare aggressive push.

“Whitman is a respected person within the investments sector and there is a way you get a plus when she bids for you. There is no American ambassador who has aggressively done what she has done for Kenya,” he said.

Should Ruto’s campaign for climate change financing and financial restructuring bear fruit, Bigambo said, he would emerge as an influential leader within the continent.

“If Ruto’s plans work, then he would have succeeded where many African leaders failed,” he said.

Signalling Kenya’s strategic significance for the United States, Whitman has been aggressively marketing Kenya as a premier global investment destination.

She passionately marketed Kenya three weeks ago when Nairobi rolled out the red carpet for American investors ahead of Ruto’s tour of the US.

Speaking during the country’s Devolution Conference in Eldoret on August 16, Whitman gave a rundown of statistics and data that she said confirmed Kenya is the perfect destination for all global investors.

“Eighty per cent of East African trade passes through Kenya’s Mombasa port. In addition, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi is the busiest airport in Africa, served by 40 passenger airlines and 25 cargo carriers, including FedEx and DHL. Kenya also has some excellent infrastructure such as the Standard Gauge Railway, a series of new roads and modern ports,” she said.

“Several international banks have been present in Nairobi for decades, and five major global financial institutions – like the World Bank and the IMF – have established their regional headquarters in Nairobi.”

Whitman has described Kenya as “the most stable democracy in Africa,” and summed up the 2022 general election as the “freest, fairest and most credible election in Kenyan history”. This praise was much to the chagrin of Opposition leader Raila Odinga.

The ambassador’s business-first style sets her apart from the previous 17 US ambassadors who were far less glowing in their description of Kenya’s democratic credentials.

The ambassador was also a major presence during the three-city US-Kenya Business Roadshow two weeks ago.

“Kenya is the gateway to the East Africa market of almost 500 million consumers. Kenya is the regional logistics and financial hub. And Kenya, with its Silicon Savannah and super smart engineers, is the region’s ICT hub,” Whitman told a room packed with potential investors in San Francisco.

The deployment of the ambassador and her deliberate efforts to market Kenya are seen as part of the US diplomatic strategy to woo Ruto and position him as a key pillar of America’s foreign policy in Africa.

However,  Kenya’s opposition has protested against Whitman’s conduct, terming her praise of the 2022 polls and Ruto’s leadership as undiplomatic and meddling in Kenya’s internal affairs.

On Thursday, August 17, Raila told off Whitman for what he termed “meddling with Kenya’s internal affairs” after she termed the 2022 polls “fair”.

“We want to tell the rogue ambassador to leave Kenyans alone. If maandamano can lead to dialogue between Kalonzo [Musyoka] and [Kimani] Ichung’wah, then everything is good with demonstrations,” he said.

“Tell the rogue ambassador that Kenya is not the United States and Kenya is not a colony of the United States. Keep your mouth shut when you are here, otherwise, we will call for your recall.”

However, speaking on August 18, President Ruto told off Raila, accusing the opposition supremo of vilifying people who create opportunities for Kenya.

“We will be very ungrateful to vilify the people creating opportunities for us. The American ambassador said two statements of fact, that the 2022 election was free and fair,” he said.

Demonstrating the growing camaraderie between Ruto and America, the US is backing Kenya’s willingness to deploy police officers to troubled Haiti, a Caribbean nation battling organised gangs.

A few days after Ruto’s 10-day tour of the US, America dispatched Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austine III to Nairobi to deliver good news of Sh14 billion support for Kenya’s mission to Haiti.

During the tour, Austine signed a framework for defence cooperation between the US and Kenya that will run for five years between 2023 and 2028.

“The United States will give $100 million in support of Kenya in Haiti. I urge other countries to join the Kenyan government in supporting Haiti,” Austine said

The cooperation deal was the culmination of what has been Washington’s strong and firm endorsement of Ruto’s presidency since his election a year ago.

The proposed Kenyan-led multinational force to restore security in conflict-ravaged Haiti would test Nairobi forces’ mettle but also position Kenya as a key regional partner and partner of the United States.

Kenya has expressed its willingness to lead a multinational force in Haiti and will deploy 1,000 police officers to the Caribbean nation once the United Nations Security Council approves it.

None other than US President Joe Biden himself last week strongly commended Ruto’s willingness to deploy police officers to Haiti to support and train the nation’s law enforcement.

Speaking when he addressed the 78th edition of the United Nations General Assembly, Biden said the body must continue to preserve peace, prevent conflict and alleviate human suffering globally.

“We embrace nations stepping up to lead new ways and to seek new breakthroughs on hard issues. For example, in Haiti, the Caribbean communities facilitated a dialogue among Haitian society. I thank President Ruto of Kenya for his willingness to serve as the lead nation of a UN-backed security support system,” Biden said.

During Ruto’s tour of the US, the President also held high-profile strategic meetings that confirmed Kenya’s crucial role as a democratic anchor for the region and support for US foreign policies and fighting terrorism.

The head of state had a busy schedule meeting with friends and development partners at the UN but the most notable was the one with his Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Meeting Zelenskyy sent a message about which side of global politics Ruto is aligned to at a time when Russia has invaded Ukraine and is waging war against the Kyiv government. The US is backing and arming Ukraine