Ms. Jessica Muthoni Gakinya takes up her duties as Kenya’s first ambassador to Morocco

Kenya’s first ambassador to Morocco, Ms. Jessica Muthoni Gakinya, was received Friday in Rabat by Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita.

During the meeting, the Kenyan envoy handed over copies of her credentials to the minister, sending a strong message to the Algerian regime which has spent billions of dollars in a bid to thwart rapprochement between Rabat and Nairobi.

During a parliamentary hearing before her posting, Ms. Gakinya pledged to encourage investors from Morocco to establish a fertilizer factory in Kenya, facilitating easier access to essential agricultural products for Kenyan farmers.

Morocco’s OCP Group, a global leader in plant nutrition and phosphate-based fertilizers, has already set up fertilizer plants in Ethiopia and Nigeria in partnership with these African countries to ensure their food security. Kenya also wants to benefit from Morocco’s experience in this field.

At her confirmation hearing as Kenya’s ambassador to Morocco, Ms. Gakinya also pledged to market Kenyan tea and coffee in the North African Kingdom, taking advantage of Africa’s Continental free trade area.

In March, Mr. Bourita received a Kenyan envoy carrying a message from President Ruto to King Mohammed VI. The message contents were not disclosed.

After he was sworn in as Kenya’s fifth president on September 13, 2022, Mr. William Ruto had decided to withdraw his country’s recognition of the self-proclaimed SADR and close its representation in Nairobi. However, he backtracked the following day under the heavy pressure exerted by the Algerian rulers with their petrodollars.

In April, Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf flew to Nairobi in a bid to urge President Ruto not to change course. But it seems that Kenyan President has already made his mind and chosen his partners as evidenced by his decision to open an embassy in Rabat to serve his country’s strategic interests.