Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing'Oei on Tuesday, December 5, tutored Senate Speaker Amason Kingi following his meeting that almost sparked a diplomatic row.
Kingi hosted a delegation from Somaliland at his office and later went to share part of their conversation on social media platform X.
In his post which was later deleted, the former Kilifi Governor announced that he had engaged Somaliland on ways to bolster trade between the two countries including launching direct flights from Nairobi to Hargeisa.
Kingi also recognised the Somaliland representative as an Ambassador to Kenya. By so doing, the Senate Speaker recognized Somaliland as an independent state.
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The diplomatic gaffe compelled the PS to clarify Kenya's stance on Somaliland in line with the African Union standards.
Sing'Oei insisted that only the Federal Republic of Somalia is recognized as a state according to African Union charters.
" It is Kenya's established and unchanging foreign policy, consistent with the African Union, that only the Federal Republic of Somalia is the recognized State entity," the PS explained.
"Somaliland, a region within the Federal Republic of Somalia, has a liaison office for commercial purposes in Nairobi. This office is not an embassy," he added.
Sing'Oei further reprimanded Kingi for overstepping on his mandate indicating that the role of the National Assembly was oversight and not foreign policy.
"Foreign policy of the Republic is a function of National Government. Parliament's role in foreign policy is an oversight on the exercise of foreign relations by the national government," the PS insisted.
Failure to clarify the situation could have triggered a diplomatic row with the Federal Republic of Somalia and the entire African Union as Somaliland is yet to be recognized as an independent state.
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