United States President Joe Biden has officially designated Kenya a major Non-NATO ally.
The designation comes a few weeks after President William Ruto’s state visit to the US.
“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2321k) (the “Act”),
“I hereby designate Kenya as a Major Non-NATO Ally of the United States for the purposes of the Act and the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.),” a presidential determination dated June 24 reads.
During his state visit, Biden announced his intention to designate Kenya as a major non-NATO ally. NATO, short for North Atlantic Treaty Organization, currently consists of 32 member countries referred to as NATO allies.
This landmark decision by Biden signifies a significant achievement for Kenya, making it the first sub-Saharan African nation and the fourth in Africa to receive this status. The others include Egypt, awarded by former President Ronald Reagan in 1987, Morocco by George W. Bush in 2004, and Tunisia by Barack Obama in 2015.
The White House described this prestigious designation as recognizing countries with close and strategic military and defense relationships with the United States. It highlighted Kenya’s substantial contributions to global peace and security, emphasizing decades of robust security cooperation that have helped maintain stability in East Africa and beyond.
As a major non-NATO ally, Kenya will benefit from privileged access to advanced military equipment, training opportunities, and loans to support defense expenditures. However, the designation does not require the US to provide direct military assistance, nor does it obligate Kenya to contribute troops to NATO operations.
Countries with this status enjoy various military and financial advantages, including eligibility for loans of material, supplies, or equipment for cooperative research, development, testing, or evaluation purposes. Additionally, they may host US-owned War Reserve Stockpiles on their territory outside of US military facilities.
