“That’s not just alignment to China; it’s allegiance,” declared the US Senator Jim Risch, igniting diplomatic tension after Kenyan President William Ruto heralded his nation’s partnership with China as “co-architects of a new world order” during a diplomatic visit in Beijing last month.
Ruto’s China visit and “new world order” remarks
This diplomatic ripple followed President Ruto’s five-day state visit to China in late April 2025. More than a diplomatic formality, the visit deepened ties between Nairobi and Beijing with the signing of over 20 bilateral agreements spanning infrastructure, trade, health, education, and digital technology. For Kenya – the leading economy in east Africa – these agreements signal a pursuit of development partnerships that can potentially offer alternatives to Western-dominated financial institutions and their conditional aid, in a context where 40% of the population lives below the poverty rate.
Emphasizing multilateralism and collective responsibility in shaping global governance in a speech delivered at Peking University in Beijing, Ruto stated that, “Kenya and China are co-architects of a new world order.”
The comment stirred unease in Washington, particularly given Kenya’s recent designation as a “major non-NATO ally” by the Biden administration in 2024, following a high-profile state visit by Ruto to the United States. The US often grants this status to secure geostrategic footholds and reward alignment with its interests, as seen with Israel, Pakistan, and others. Kenya is only the second African nation ever to be awarded this status – after Egypt in 1987 – reflecting the US’s growing concern over China’s influence on the continent. The designation also relates to the role the US envisions for Kenya in US-led security operations in Africa – home to two permanent US Africa Command bases in Mombasa and Manda Bay and recent co-host, alongside the United States, of the African Chiefs of Defense Conference 2025.
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US Senate response
In his opening remarks of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing titled “East Africa and the Horn: A Turning Point or Breaking Point?” held on May 13, Committee Chairman Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) stated that the mandate of the meeting was “to probe arguably one of the most difficult and frustrating places on the planet: Africa, more specifically East Africa. … Just last month, President Ruto declared that Kenya, a major non-NATO ally, and China are ‘co-architects of a new world order.’ That’s not just alignment to China; it’s allegiance.”
He went on to say: “Relying on leaders who embrace Beijing so openly is an error. It’s time to reassess our relationship with Kenya and others who forge tight bonds with China.”
Senator Risch submitted Ruto’s full Peking University speech into the congressional record, treating Kenya’s sovereign diplomatic moves as a betrayal, within the broader context of escalating US aggression towards China.
Kenya’s diplomatic response
In return, chairman of the Defense, Intelligence & Foreign Relations Committee of Kenya’s National Assembly, Nelson Koech, issued a direct response to US Senator James Risch over Kenya’s foreign policy positions. “From the United Nations to the World Trade Organization, [Ruto’s] administration consistently questioned outdated structures and demanded fairer terms for American interests,” Koech wrote. “Kenya is asking for the same – not to dismantle multilateralism, but to rebuild it on principles of equity and shared responsibility.”
Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi further contextualized Kenya’s rebuttal in a televised interview.“What President Ruto was talking about is collective ownership,” said Mudavadi, “America is a big power, and so is China. The two nations are important to us, and we will continue to work together.” “This is not a shift in Kenya’s policy to the detriment of anybody,” he explained. “We are not here to play one country against another.”
Mudavadi further elaborated that Kenya’s foreign policy is driven by national interest and the pursuit of mutually beneficial partnerships, noting that “global politics is dynamic and decisions are made for certain reasons at certain times.” Being careful not to antagonize, both high-ranking officials maintain that Ruto’s remarks are not a pivot from the west.
Strategic balancing in a multipolar world
Kenya’s stance represents a broader trend among African states seeking to balance relationships with major global powers while asserting their agency. Many governments, Kenya’s included, in this instance seem to maintain a “hedging” foreign policy strategy. Contrary to US fears that these governments are bandwagoning with China, this approach is characterized by attempts to balance relationships with multiple major powers and maintain non-aligned, interest-driven diplomatic approaches that prioritize national and development interests.
Kenya is asserting its right to engage globally based on its development priorities and strategic interests.
Whether Washington will reassess its relationship with Nairobi, as Senator Risch suggests, remains to be seen. However, given Kenya’s long-standing institutional ties with the United States and broader Western alliances, a significant policy shift appears unlikely in the near term; Koech’s letter to Risch described Kenya’s call for a more just international order as an aspiration that “mirrors President Trump’s own push for reform within global institutions.”
At the same time, it also remains to be seen whether Kenya’s positioning reflects a deliberate recalibration in its foreign policy, or simply a pragmatic approach to navigating the complexities of global power realignment.
