Sessional Paper No. 01 on The Foreign Policy of the Republic of Kenya: the Grand Strategy to Position Kenya's Foreign Policy in the Global Landscape

Abstract

Foreign policy is a central framework in a country's strategic engagements within the international arena. As an external policy, foreign policy is a blueprint of goals, strategies and actions that a state adopts to guide its foreign relations and diplomatic engagements with other states, international organizations and a myriad of non-state actors in the global arena. Through its foreign policy, Kenya intends to . preserve its sovereignty and independence, and safeguard as well as promote the economic, political and socio-cultural interests of its citizens. In 2014, Kenya consolidated its foreign policy into a single written document to encapsulate the previous diverse sources that included the Constitution, Sessional Papers, party manifestos, international treaties, agreements, conventions and charters; various national plans, policy and legal frameworks, as well as political leadership pronouncements. The 2014 Foreign Policy document was revised in 2024 to align it with the national interests and priorities and ensure that it remains effective and relevant, while also adopting a more people-centered diplomacy in which all critical stakeholders are involved in the formulation and execution of the nation's foreign policy. Moreover, :<enya's foreign policy framework reflects the national values, cc,e principles and national interests which are further reflected in the focus areas of the revised Foreign Policy.