Kenyan Foreign and Security Policies: The Jomo Kenyatta Presidency and Legacy

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Kipyego Cheluget and Stephen Wright evaluate the legacy of Kenyas first president, Jomo Kenyatta.

Following a nationalist uprising and brutal colonial repression, Kenya became independent in December 1963. With much of the agricultural land still under European settler control, Jomo Kenyatta promoted foreign and security policies to balance Kenyan, African, and settler interests, attracting foreign investment into the new country. Kenyattas programs, however, favored the West and established a growing need for British and American security guarantees to sustain Kenya in an increasingly unstable Eastern African region. In this book, Cheluget and Wright show that despite the growing pressures within Kenyan civil society for diversification of policies and redistribution of economic wealth, Kenyatta consistently maintained pro-western policies until his death in 1978. This book is split into 3 parts. Part I discusses the growth of Kenyan nationalism, the end of the colonial era, and the birth of the Kenyan State. Part II considers the political economy and development strategies of the Kenyan State. Part III assesses the degree of continuity of the succeeding leadership portrayed from the Jomo Kenyatta presidency. Through this detailed analysis, the authors examine Kenyattas policies and examine how successive Kenyan presidents have largely maintained his policies and venerated his legacy.

Reviews

This book offers a nuanced and comprehensive analysis of Kenya's foreign and security policies, beginning with the legacy of Jomo Kenyatta's presidency and tracing its influence on subsequent administrations of Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto. By situating Kenya's policies within the broader context of African and global diplomacy, this book provides a deeper understanding of how colonial legacies, domestic political dynamics, and economic strategies shaped the nation's trajectory. Kipyego Cheluget and Stephen Wright skillfully integrate themes such as Pan-Africanism, Cold War geopolitics, regional cooperation, and Kenya's pragmatic diplomacy to highlight the interplay between domestic and external factors, offering valuable insights into Kenya's role as a stabilizing force in the Eastern Africa and its navigation of complex global partnerships. The blend of historical depth, theoretical rigor, and practical relevance makes it a compelling resource for scholars, policymakers, and anyone keen to understand the forces shaping modern African states. * Paul Kibiwott Kurgat, Senior Lecturer of Diplomacy and International Relations, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya *
Cheluget and Wright offer unique and comprehensive treatise on the ramifications of domestic and concomitant African factors on Kenya's foreign and security policies grounded during the Kenyatta presidency which, the nuances notwithstanding, largely buttressed the successive administrations of Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, and William Ruto. This volume is a must for courses on Kenya Foreign Policy, African Foreign Policy, African International Relations, and African Politics. * Korwa Gombe Adar, Professor of International Studies, United States International University-Africa, Kenya *

Author Bio

Kipyego Cheluget is former Assistant Secretary-General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, former Deputy Secretary-General of East African Community, and former Ambassador of Kenya.

Stephen Wright is Emeritus Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Northern Arizona University, USA.