What triggered the US to review Kenya's non-NATO ally status? - Citizen Digital

A collage of President William Ruto and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

So, what really triggered the call to reassess Kenya’s US non-NATO major ally status?

Fingers could point east, specifically to a trip to Beijing, China, where President William Ruto appeared to drop his diplomatic guard, declaring Kenya and China as "new world order partners."

The question now is, what does Kenya stand to lose if diplomatic ties with the United States are downgraded?

Coming so soon after a full American state honors visit to the White House, President William Ruto’s trip to Beijing carried both the potential and consequences of a diplomatic backflip.

In Washington, the then-President Joe Biden administration had designated Kenya as a major non-NATO ally, a status that carries significant weight and privilege in Western circles. 

But shortly after, President Ruto turned eastward, walking the red carpet in China, a global power locked in an ongoing supremacy contest with the United States.

President Ruto’s speech at Peking University raised eyebrows in Washington, especially a portion that seemed unusually enthusiastic for a leader whose country holds a strategic alliance with the US.

"Kenya and China are not merely trade partners; we are co-architects of a new world order—one that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable," President Ruto said on April 23, 2025. 

This statement drew immediate attention from US officials, including Senator Jim Risch, chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"Many African nations maintain troubling ties. Just last month, President Ruto—a major non-NATO ally—named China and Kenya as key architects of a new world order," Senator Jim Risch noted on May 15, 2025. 

Now, Washington is reviewing Kenya’s status through a proposed amendment in the 2026 US military spending bill, which governs more than 700 American military bases worldwide.

But what exactly does “major non-NATO ally” mean?

Like the 18 other countries with this designation, Kenya enjoys numerous economic and military benefits. 

These include the ability to purchase advanced US military technology, access to loans of military materials and equipment, hosting US-owned war reserve stockpiles, eligibility to buy depleted uranium ammunition and the opportunity to enter formal research partnerships with the US Department of Defense. 

Kenya shares this designation with countries like Brazil, Argentina, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and others.

President Joe Biden rescinded the status of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally in 2022, 10 years after the Obama White House granted Kabul the status.

If the amendments take effect, within 90 days of the law, Secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury shall review Kenya’s status as a major non-NATO ally, and a downgrade of the status is among the expected outcomes of the review.