Major non-Nato Ally, What Does It Mean for Kenya.
Author: Powell Buluma.
On the 23rd of May 2024, following Kenyan President William Ruto's state visit to the United States, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that Kenya would be granted the title of a Major Non-NATO Ally. This is a title that has been conferred by the US to a select group of nations numbering in at 19 and Kenya becomes the 1st Sub-Saharan African country to be given this status and only the 4th African country behind Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The question that came to many people's minds was what exactly this title means and what are these benefits that are conferred by the title. That is what this Article will seek to answer.
The title of MNNA was first created in 1989 with an initial member list of 5 countries. The title was added as an amendment to the United States Code governing the operations of the US Armed Forces. It provided that the Secretary of Defence, with the approval of the Secretary of State, might implement cooperative research and development partnerships with non-NATO allies. This initial provision was expanded upon in 1996 with the addition of the provision that allowed MNNA to receive additional military and financial benefits. It further provided MNNA with the same exemptions that were enjoyed by NATO members from the Arms Export Control Act.
The United States Department of State lists the privileges of being a MNNA under 22 U.S.C. §2321k as further including being eligible as a location for U.S.-owned War Reserve Stockpiles to be placed on its territory outside of U.S. military facilities, being able to enter into agreements with the United States for the cooperative furnishing of training on a bilateral or multilateral basis and lastly, being eligible for consideration to purchase depleted uranium ammunition. The privileges conferred under 10U.S.C. §2350a include being able to allow firms of an MNNA, as with NATO countries, to bid on contracts for maintenance, repair or overhaul of U.S. Department of Defence equipment outside the United States and allowing funding to procure explosives detection devices and other counter-terrorism research and development projects under the auspices of the Department of State’s Technical Support Working Group.
Kenya is being conferred the status of MNNA due to the country's willingness to lead a UN-backed intervention in Haiti. Furthermore, Kenya and the US have longstanding bilateral ties dating back decades with the US even operating Manda Bay as their military base in Kenya. The two countries also being victims of deadly terrorist attacks which has resulted in joint counter-terrorism operations being conducted by the two countries. The US government views Kenya as a valuable ally in an otherwise geopolitically unstable and vital region of the world. The East African region and coastline to be specific is extremely valuable due to the busy shipping lanes connecting the East and the West through the Suez Canal. According to an article published by the International Monetary Fund, up to 15% of the world's global maritime trade volume passes through the Red Sea. The recent rise in Houthi rebel attacks from Yemen against cargo vessels has disrupted the flow of trade and this has caused some shipping companies to divert their ships around the southern tip of Africa adding up to 110 days and skyrocketing the costs of shipping.
The presence of such destabilizing factors is sure to have swayed the US in designating Kenya as a MNNA so as to have aid in combating insecurity in the region. As American and British forces deal with Houthi rebel hideouts, the European Union has approached Kenya in seeking aid to deal with maritime crime suspects in the region. Legally, Kenya is allowed to prosecute suspects who have committed piracy crimes on international waters due to a 2012 ruling by a Kenyan court that Kenya has jurisdiction to try Somali pirates carrying out attacks in international waters. With an ally this close to the conflict, the US and Europe wish to up Kenya's participation in countering terrorism and other destabilizing factors in the region.
Others might view the agreement with the US as being a one-sided arrangement which mainly benefits the US with Kenya getting the short end of the stick. This is mainly by putting Kenya in the spotlight of many US enemies with an example being the terrorist attack Kenya suffered in 1998 with an Al Qaeda affiliated bombing of the US embassy in Kenya that killed more than 220 people mostly Kenyans. Others view the agreement as a great way for Kenya to step up its reputation on a global scale while giving our military access to better facilities and equipment. Much like most agreements, there are benefits and consequences both of which are yet to be seen with the latest agreement between Kenya and the US. Only time will tell what rewards might be reaped from this agreement and until then, we can only speculate.
