President Joe Biden of the United States of America (USA) has formally designated Kenya as a major non-NATO ally.
The designation was made through a presidential determination dated June 24, 2024.
"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.)," read part of the presidential determination.
The designation comes a few weeks after President William Ruto made a historic visit to the U.S.
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The move means that Kenya is now the first sub-Saharan nation to receive major non-NATO ally status, enabling it to acquire more sophisticated weaponry from the United States and engage in closer security cooperation.
According to the White House, the U.S. has deep respect for Kenya's contributions to global peace and security, and the designation was a powerful symbol of the close relationship between the United States and Kenya.
"The United States has a deep respect for Kenya’s contributions to global peace and security. This is the first designation of a sub-Saharan African nation as a Major Non-NATO Ally," White House said in a previous statement.
NATO is an intergovernmental security alliance of 30 countries from North America and Europe which was formed in 1949.
The designation comes just after Kenya sent the first consignment of police officers for a peacekeeping mission in Haiti.
