Kenya's Sovereignty at Risk Due to Ignored National Interests

A recent opinion piece by Lawi Sultan Njeremani has sparked debate on the meaning of sovereignty in Kenya. The author argues that being a sovereign republic demands more than just having a flag, a seat at the UN, and a national anthem. It requires a literal and philosophical manifestation of independence in every policy, treaty, and budget. This comes as the Kenya National Interface Team (KNIT), a multidisciplinary think tank, has been working to advance social justice, human dignity, and livelihoods of Kenyans.

KNIT's work focuses on constitutional compliance, debt management, electoral justice, and devolution. Their analyses have revealed a gap between constitutional aspiration and practice. For instance, KNIT's special report on the Economic Cost of Constitutional Violations estimates that unconstitutional debt accumulation, elite tax exemptions, and unaccounted public expenditure have cost Kenya between Sh18.7 trillion and Sh28.4 trillion between 2010 and 2026. This is a staggering amount larger than Kenya's entire national debt.

The issue of sovereignty also dominates Kenya's natural resource management. KNIT's evaluations of the Mrima Hill rare earths tender and the Dangote Lamu Refinery have raised concerns about the awarding of extraction rights without verifiable geological data. The think tank argues that a true sovereign state does not just host foreign investment; it captures the value chain. They propose a strict National Interest Exposure Matrix to test whether major projects serve Kenya's energy security and economic sovereignty.

A sovereign state must also reflect the will of its people, not just the arithmetic of an ethnic coalition or the whims of a political broker. KNIT's analytical framework warns that ethnic mobilisation is often used to sustain political patronage, keeping deeper issues of economic justice off the ballot. True national unity requires a coalition that changes the underlying political-economic structure to benefit the ordinary citizen.

The state of public finance and leadership integrity in Kenya is also a cause for concern. The Executive's open defiance of court orders, the unconstitutionality of the NG-CDF, and the sidelining of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) in compensating victims of state brutality are all issues that need to be addressed. KNIT's Constitutional Accountability Series has exposed this systemic deficit, which spans multiple administrations.

To address these issues, the author suggests that Kenya adopt a constitutional developmental state doctrine. This would enable the country to be a state powerful enough to plan and coordinate its economy, yet disciplined enough to remain accountable to the Constitution. This can be achieved by making the Sovereign Republic of Kenya literal in laws and philosophical in minds.

Ultimately, Kenyans must demand that all major public decisions, foreign treaties, and resource deals are subjected to the principles of sovereignty and national interest. This requires a collective effort to ensure that the country's independence is protected and its sovereignty is not quietly brokered away to external creditors or foreign powers. The conversation around Kenya's sovereignty is ongoing, and it remains to be seen how the country's leaders will respond to these concerns.

Key points

• Unconstitutional debt accumulation and lack of transparency in natural resource management are threatening Kenya's sovereignty.
• A constitutional developmental state doctrine could help Kenya balance economic development with accountability to the Constitution.
• Kenyans must demand that major public decisions are subjected to the principles of sovereignty and national interest.