Nairobi, Kenya- Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has waded into the storm surrounding a bill in the United States Senate that seeks to review Kenya’s designation as a major non-NATO ally.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Tuesday night, Gachagua said the bill—tabled by Senator James Risch—raises concerns about Kenya’s growing ties with China and Iran, as well as alleged links between Kenyan officials and violent extremist groups, including Al Shabaab and Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“This is not something I came up with,” Gachagua said. “It is a document before the US Senate. The allegations are written there in black and white. I only referred to what was already in the public domain.”
This interview comes barely a week after Gachagua jettet back to the country, cutting short his U.S. diaspora tour.
His comeback was met with a homecoming procession that was nothing short of a bold political statement. Thousands of supporters gathered at JKIA to give the former DP a Kings welcome home- in the fashion DCP secretary general had described.
Ruto’s Response: “The Americans Have a Problem With Me”
The bill prompted a sharp reaction from President William Ruto, who dismissed the concerns raised in Washington as politically motivated.
According to Gachagua, Ruto argued that the real issue was Kenya’s expanding trade relations with Beijing, which the US views as competition.
“President Ruto himself responded, saying the Americans are uncomfortable because he has opened bilateral trade with China, which is good for Kenya. That is why they want to review their relationship with us,” Gachagua noted.
Ruto has in recent months championed stronger ties with both China and Gulf states, pitching Kenya as a strategic trade hub. But Washington’s discomfort signals how Nairobi’s foreign policy balancing act is being closely monitored.
Kenya in the Crosshairs of Global Geopolitics
Kenya was designated a major non-NATO ally by the US in 2024, a status seen as cementing Nairobi’s role as Washington’s security and trade partner in East Africa. The status opened doors to military cooperation, intelligence-sharing, and preferential access to defense equipment.
But Senator Risch’s bill threatens to place that relationship under fresh scrutiny.
While it does not automatically revoke Kenya’s ally status, it sets the stage for congressional debate on whether Nairobi’s foreign alignments and alleged links to non-state actors compromise US interests.
