Kenya will not accept external interference in its internal affairs, MP Nelson Koech has said, following a joint statement issued by a group of foreign envoys on June 25, 2025. Koech, who chairs the National Assembly’s Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, emphasized that Kenya is fully committed to upholding democratic principles, but will not tolerate perceived diplomatic overreach.
The statement by the ambassadors and high commissioners from Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and several other Western nations called for peaceful protests and respect for civic freedoms as Kenyans prepared to mark the anniversary of the 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations. The envoys underscored the importance of non-violent assembly and expressed concerns about the reported use of plainclothes police officers in unmarked vehicles practices already declared unlawful by Kenya’s High Court. They also raised alarms over alleged use of hired goons to infiltrate protests.
In his response, Koech stated that while Kenya welcomes constructive dialogue, it rejects what he termed “lectures” on how to manage its affairs. “The Republic of Kenya continues to embrace its vibrant democracy not at the urging of others, but by the will of its people,” he said.
Koech cautioned that the diplomatic statement’s language risked undermining Kenya’s sovereignty. “In referring to ‘hired goons’ and covert operations, the joint statement treads dangerously close to adopting the language of activists and partisan actors,” he noted. He added that the country’s security operations are guided by the rule of law and aim to maintain public order and safety, especially when legitimate protests are threatened by criminal infiltration.
He called on diplomatic partners to respect the Vienna Convention’s principles of non-interference and mutual respect. “Kenya is not a subject of external surveillance. Kenya is a nation rising secure in its democracy and firm in its partnership,” Koech concluded.
The exchange highlights ongoing tensions between foreign missions advocating for human rights and civic space, and a Kenyan government that insists on its right to chart its democratic journey without external pressure.
