The Kenyan government has clarified its decision to grant diplomatic privileges and immunities to the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), a Netherlands-based international NGO with regional offices in Nairobi.
In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr. Korir Sing’oei refuted media reports suggesting that the move was influenced by external political pressure. He emphasized that the decision was made in line with Kenya’s legal and diplomatic frameworks.
“I have noted media reports touching on the grant of Host Country Status to the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA)… The imputation that this was granted as a result of external political pressure is without any foundation,” stated Sing’oei.
According to the PS, the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs followed due process as stipulated in the Privileges and Immunities Act. The process began on July 27, 2023, when GCA submitted a request for Host Country Agreement (HCA) status to facilitate the establishment of its regional office in Nairobi.
Almost two years later, on April 20, 2025, the Prime Cabinet Secretary and the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs formalized the agreement through Legal Notice No. 82, granting privileges and immunities to GCA and its international staff. Parliament ratified the decision on September 30, 2025, following stakeholder hearings and public participation.
Sing’oei maintained that the privileges conferred on GCA were not unique, noting that over 170 non-state entities operating in Kenya have received similar benefits since 1984. These include Oxfam, Save the Children, the World Wide Fund for Nature, and the Lutheran World Federation.
The privileges typically cover tax exemptions on certain goods, legal immunity for official acts, and work permits for foreign staff.
The GCA’s Nairobi office is expected to bolster Kenya’s climate diplomacy and green growth agenda, positioning the country as a regional hub for climate adaptation initiatives.
