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A section of Westlands in Nairobi. [File, Standard]
Despite depressing political hullabaloo in July 2026, in which policy makers including ministers displayed loss of maturity and self-dignity, there are those who showed ability to think in positive ways. They are found in think tanks and universities which appear to compete to hold symposia and conferences on topical issues. Among the topics is one on whether Kenya matters in the peace and security reality of the East African region, on global geopolitical realignment, and on possible decolonisation of the Criminal Justice System. The growing number of think tanks and universities that entertain questioning minds provoke captivating ideas.
Kenya’s seeming weakening as a regional peace and security player attracted such think tanks and universities as the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the Horn Institute, and Mashariki Institute, University of Nairobi, Riara University, and the United States International University-Africa (USIU-A). Kenya, they diagnosed, was an anchor state that is strategic first to countries in the region and second to extra-continental players who use it as a gateway to Eastern Africa. Although Riara’s Winnie Rugutt explained Kenya’s global activities as ‘strategic hedging’, the country had seemingly undermined its credibility as regional mediator/negotiator. Kenya’s internal contradictions and dissonance, mainly between its comfortable rulers and its suffering public, tend to erode its claims to regional leadership. While it is good at mediating and proposing solutions, it is very poor at following or benefitting from its successes. As a result of failing to own the processes, it ends up surrendering its success to other countries, especially extra-continental players.
