Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2026

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Advisor(s)

Casey McNeill

Second Advisor

Sarah P. Lockhart, Ph.D.

Abstract

In April 2025, in a speech to university students in Beijing, China, Kenyan President William Ruto announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Kenya and China are not merely trade partners. We are co-architects of a new world order.” The speech was a bold departure from Ruto’s announcement just a year earlier that Kenya would officially achieve Major Non-NATO Ally status with the United States. The stark contrast in public statements from Kenya’s president within just a few months signals a shift in the international order. A system that once compelled states like Kenya to bandwagon with the United States now allows them to balance competing great-power influences. This thesis examines the evolution of Kenya’s foreign policy actions from the unipolar era to the multipolar era. It argues that Kenya is embracing its role as a middle power and employing the foreign policy instruments of hedging to optimize its position as a state for China and the United States to build interest. Analyzing the key official documents which lay out Kenya’s foreign policy strategy such as Kenya Vision 2030, joint statements issued by Kenya and the United States as well as from Kenya and China Summits, and tracking foreign direct investment (FDI) illustrate the evolution of Kenya’s foreign policy. Initially, Kenya aligned itself with the United States during its era of hegemony. However, Kenya has since shifted its approach to actively balancing security and economic partnerships between the United States and China. This strategic alignment aims to achieve both economic growth and stability, positioning Kenya to become a greater regional power. Ultimately, this thesis asserts that Kenya’s embrace of a “Look East” foreign policy and practice of hedging between the United States and China is emblematic of the shift in both international systems and norms. This shift has empowered middle states to take on a greater role in shaping the international stage.

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