Kenya is Africa's betrayer; it is always eager to please the West

President William Ruto with French President Emmanuel Macron during the Global Financial Pact Summit in Paris, France. [File, Standard]

It is unfortunate that Kenya is always in the eye of the storm when it comes to countering the valiant efforts at decolonisation by the rest of the continent. At a time when parts of West Africa are actively dismantling long-standing French military presence and asserting a different vision of sovereignty, Kenya is stepping forward to formalise that very presence within its own borders. President William Ruto is reported to have entered into an agreement with President Emmanuel Macron, which establishes a framework for joint operations, intelligence sharing, and troop deployment within Kenya. This agreement reflects a deeper political choice when observed together with other decisions this government has made when approached by Western governments. Let us not forget that Kenya is currently doing France's dirty work in Haiti by interfering with the sovereignty of France's former colony. It was, therefore, probably a no-brainer for Macron to approach Ruto when he was thinking through which African nations would allow his military back.