Kenya's Good-Neighborliness Foreign Policy and Enhanced Regional Competition: Case of Kenya-Somalia Territorial Threats
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Date
2022
Authors
Muthaura, Peter Kirera
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Kenya adopted the ‘good-neighborliness’ foreign policy at independence and she has implemented this policy for over five decades. However, the emerging regional competition over power, resources, territories and war on terror has had adverse effect on the implementation and realization of this foreign policy. This study sought to evaluate Kenya’s good-neighborliness foreign policy in the context of increasing regional competition using the lens of Kenya-Somalia territorial threats. The study specifically aimed at establishing the determinants behind the adoption of Kenya’s good neighborliness foreign policy, to investigate the contribution of good neighborliness foreign policy towards advancing Kenya’s national interests, to establish key emerging areas of regional competition between Kenya and Somalia and finally, to assess the relevance of good-neighborliness foreign policy in the context of Kenya-Somalia territorial threats. The study adopted liberal and rational choice theories to underpin the theoretical discourse of this study. Independent variable of this study was regional competition in geopolitics, regimes and shared natural resources. While, the Kenya’s good-neighborliness foreign policy was the dependent variable. Discovery of blue-economy resource and emergency of new regional actors were the intervening variables of this study. This study utilized descriptive survey design by the use of the expert purposive sampling technique, where the data was collected by the use of interviews and questionnaires complemented by scholarly literature which formed secondary data. The study was conducted in Nairobi City County because it is where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Assembly of Kenya, Somalia embassy, and finally selected institutions of higher learning are located. The study’s data collected was analyzed qualitatively. The target population of this study was 76 respondents. From the sample size, 55 participants including respondents and key informants took part in the study. This represented a response rate of 80%. The findings indicated that the main reason for the adoption of the foreign policy was to secure the interests of Kenya. The findings revealed that the good neighborliness foreign policy has contributed largely to the peaceful co-existence between Kenya and its neighbors. The findings as well revealed that the major area of competition between Kenya and Somalia are territorial question as well as economic issues. Mixed findings were established in relation to assessing the relevance of good-neighborliness policy in the context of Kenya-Somalia territorial threats. Some respondents were in support of the use of good neighborliness foreign policy in addressing the Kenya-Somali conflict while some opposed the use of the policy. According to these findings, the success of the good neighborliness foreign policy is grounded on cooperation and the principles of reciprocity. The study will provide basis for policy dialogue and add to existential knowledge on foreign policy formulation and analysis. In conclusion, the study suggests research to be undertaken on the relationship between good neighborliness foreign policy and regional competition between Kenya and its other neighbours other than Somali including Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan
Description
A Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Masters of Arts in International Relations and Diplomacy in the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences of Kenyatta University, October, 2022
Keywords
Kenya's Good-Neighborliness Foreign Policy, Regional Competition, Kenya-Somalia Territorial Threats