Why Kenya matters for India's foreign policy

With growing Chinese influence there, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's June 12-14 visit to Kenya is significant

When India was battling the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, about 40 countries worldwide sent some assistance. India needed medical help from any country that was willing to extend its helping hand. However, the news of Kenya, an East African nation that was once known in India for its cricket team, sending assistance of 12 tonnes in the form of tea, coffee and groundnut met with some surprise and disbelief. Many Indians did not expect an African country like Kenya could send assistance to a significant power like India.

Now, just days after the news of the Kenyan assistance, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is going to visit Kenya. Jaishankar's visit, scheduled from 12th to 14th June, is significant because Kenya is a crucial player in the geopolitics of East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean.

It connects land-locked central and east African countries to the Indian Ocean and is pivotal in the region. Like India, Kenya is also a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the two-year term (2021-22). Both countries have important stakes in working closely on issues of mutual interest such as climate change.

Importance for India

For India, Kenya is a maritime neighbour connected by the Indian Ocean. Both India and Kenya were part of the British Empire. English language, love for cricket and democratic political systems are some other commonalities between the two countries. India is a significant development partner for Kenya and has extended assistance in loans, scholarships to students and gifting advanced medical equipment. Moreover, to augment its Africa engagement, India and the United States are working together in Kenya.

Kenya's importance to India also stems from the fact that the East African country is a haven of stability despite having Somalia and South Sudan, both unstable countries plagued with violence and insecurity, in its neighbourhood. Before Covid-19, Kenya was one of the fastest-growing African economies. It has the potential to emerge as one of the success stories in Africa. According to the World Bank, Kenya enjoys a "growing youthful population, a dynamic private sector, skilled workforce" as well as "improved infrastructure".

Indian traders, especially from the western coastal states such as Gujarat, have been trading with Kenya for centuries. Bilateral trade between India and Kenya stood at $ 2.208 billion in 2018-19. India is the third-largest source of tourists for the Kenyan tourism industry. Better connectivity and the growing Indian middle class are likely to boost these ties even further.

Geopolitics of the Western Indian Ocean

In the evolving geopolitics of the Western Indian Ocean, countries like Kenya have become a focus of contest between major powers. India, the US, China and Middle Eastern powers such as the United Arab Emirates are interested in strengthening their ties with an economic powerhouse like Kenya. When the US decided to pull out its troops from Somalia earlier this year, they were re-deployed in Kenya as it has been a steadfast partner for the US for decades. In the recent past, Britain has been strengthening the defence cooperation with Kenya as it returns to the Indian Ocean.

Kenya has benefitted from the ongoing strategic competition. China has built an important railway line in Kenya connecting the capital Nairobi with the port of Mombasa. The railway line has generated questions about the high costs and environmental impact. Yet, it has contributed to modernizing the Kenyan infrastructure. China is also building a port at Lamu in Kenya, which could be one of the largest ports in Africa when completed. There are doubts about the viability of such a large port and whether it can turn into another Hambantota-like situation. It will allow China to gain another foothold, after Djibouti, on the Eastern African seaboard. For India, the growing influence through these projects and Kenyan debt to China remains a major worrying factor.

The Indian Navy has been a regular visitor to the Kenyan ports. Officers of Kenyan defence forces are trained at Indian military academies, and defence cooperation between the two countries is robust. However, in the context of the Chinese challenge, there is a need to do more. Post-pandemic, India can deepen partnerships with countries like the US and Britain in this difficult fiscal and political scenario. It can augment trilateral co-operative efforts in limiting the growing Chinese penetration of the region.

India's Africa policy and the Indian Ocean strategy meet at the East and Southern African seaboard, and therefore, countries like Kenya are assuming increasing geopolitical prominence. Consequently, it is necessary to appreciate the importance of relatively smaller yet strategically essential countries like Kenya. The upcoming visit by Jaishankar is a clear reflection of this point of view.

(The writer is a Research Fellow with the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.