Kenya, Morocco strengthen ties with new Embassy in Rabat
The embassy was inaugurated on Monday by Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.
Kenya has officially opened its first embassy in Rabat, signalling a new chapter in its diplomatic relations with Morocco after years of cautious engagement.
The embassy was inaugurated on Monday by Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita, in a ceremony attended by diplomats and invited guests in the Moroccan capital.
Kenya's newly appointed ambassador to Rabat, Jessica Gakinya, and Ali Bajaber, the long-serving honorary consul in Casablanca, were present.
Bajaber, a Kenyan national, had helped maintain ties in the absence of formal diplomatic representation.
In his remarks, Mudavadi thanked Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for supporting the establishment of the embassy, calling the move "a new level of atmosphere between Kenya and Morocco."
"We are looking at consolidating our relations and cooperation," he said.
The embassy opening marks a quiet diplomatic win for Rabat and comes at a time when Kenya appears to have softened its public position on the Western Sahara issue.
Nairobi has historically supported the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic's push for self-determination.
However, recent official statements have avoided references to the territory's disputed status, which is a key issue for Morocco.
It is unclear whether the Western Sahara issue was discussed in the closed-door meeting between Mudavadi and Bourita.
