Kenya elevating ‘city diplomacy’ as a core component of its foreign policy

By Eunice WAWUDA

The government of Kenya has taken significant steps to formalise and promote ‘city diplomacy’ as a key component of its foreign policy – promising to position its capital urbanite, Nairobi, not just as an administrative hub but as an active player in international relations.

A similar approach will be mirrored across other major cities in the country, according to the Principal Secretary in the State Department for Housing and Urban Development, Charles Hinga Mwaura, who underscored the centrality of cities in the country’s economy and the urgency of equipping them to handle the pressures of urbanization.

Based on the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Gross County Product (GCP) of 2024 and 2025 reports, the four counties of Nairobi, Kiambu, Mombasa, and Machakos are the major economic hubs, collectively contributing significantly to Kenya’s national Gross Value Added (GVA).

Hinga stressed that despite this economic significance, county governments and several nations alike continue to face resource bottlenecks and leadership challenges that impede their ability to meet rapidly growing urban demands. He called for stronger advocacy and more sustainable financing for urban development, warning that without adequately funded cities, national development targets would remain out of reach.

It was an ambitious rallying call to position its cities as influential actors on the global stage that gained fresh momentum this week as representatives from government, development partners, academia, civil society, and the private sector convened for a landmark City Diplomacy Stakeholder Consultation Workshop in Nairobi.

The event, organized by the International Relations Society of Kenya (IRSK) in collaboration with the Kenya Alliance of Residents Associations (KARA) and the African Urban Lab (AUL), is part of a broader push to establish a structured national framework for city diplomacy, in a forum supported by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Kenya Office.

It brought together practitioners and thought leaders to refine a proposed City Diplomacy Initiative aimed at empowering Kenyan cities to leverage international partnerships, expand their global visibility, and strengthen local service delivery.

A Call for Transparency

A forthright presentation by the Kenya Alliance of Residents Associations (KARA) challenged counties to justify the value of their international engagements. Citing 2025 expenditure records, the presentation revealed that Nairobi spent KSh 128.4 million on foreign travel out of a total KSh 800 million travel budget, while Machakos reported KSh 631 million in travel costs.

These figures prompted residents to question whether such trips yielded any concrete returns—such as investment deals, technology transfers, or partnerships with clear benefits for urban communities. The session pressed county governments to adopt stronger transparency measures and clearer reporting on outcomes.

A proposal that received wide support was the establishment of a dedicated City Diplomacy Unit within Nairobi City County to systematically document engagements and publish results for public accountability.

City Diplomacy Initiative Concept Note

A detailed City Diplomacy Initiative Concept Note formed the intellectual backbone of the workshop’s deliberations. It emphasized that while global city networks are increasingly influential, city diplomacy must not remain elite‑driven or detached from everyday concerns. Instead, cities must anchor international engagement in the realities of local problems—ranging from waste management and housing to inclusive mobility, youth livelihoods, and informal market development.

The concept note proposed a multi‑pronged approach: capacity‑building for city officials and community leaders; a robust policy dialogue platform; a Kenya‑focused knowledge hub for urban diplomacy; community‑driven pilot projects; and strengthened city‑to‑city collaborations. The initiative aims to create clear feedback loops so global commitments translate into measurable improvements in neighborhoods and business districts.

Kenya’s City Diplomacy Gaps and Opportunities

Academic and policy experts enriched the discussion with global, regional, and country‑specific insights. Dr. Winnie Rugutt of the University of Nairobi explained the theoretical shift from traditional state‑centric diplomacy to modern city diplomacy, noting that cities increasingly engage in what she described as “low politics”—the practical areas of climate action, trade facilitation, cultural exchange, and local economic development.

She highlighted that Kenya’s Revised Foreign Policy (2024) now encourages counties’ participation in external relations and called for stronger institutionalization within county governments to ensure continuity and impact. She further urged countries to move from symbolic partnerships to project‑based cooperation, emphasizing that measurable results must underpin all foreign engagements.

Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Mwencha of IRSK presented a detailed assessment of governance gaps limiting effective city diplomacy. He identified the absence of county‑level strategies, low diplomatic literacy among city officials, and weak coordination between national and county governments as major obstacles.

He argued that counties must build specialized international relations units and invest in training leaders—governors, CECs, MCAs, city managers, and technical staff—to navigate complex global ecosystems. Dr. Mwencha outlined a compelling vision of cities as “flexible laboratories” for innovation, capable of piloting solutions that could later be adopted nationally.

Adding a global perspective, Humphrey Otieno of AUL connected Kenya’s emerging city diplomacy landscape to international trends. His presentation noted that cities worldwide—from New York and Paris to Cape Town and Barcelona—have formalized diplomacy units and leveraged city networks such as UCLG, C40, and ICLEI to attract investment, share knowledge, and influence global debates.

He pointed out that Kenya is well‑positioned to advance city diplomacy, given Nairobi’s role as host of UN‑Habitat and UNEP, strong civil society networks, and the rapid growth of secondary cities. He also highlighted strategic platforms Kenya could tap into, including the World Urban Forum, Africa Urban Forum, and the Devolution Conference, to amplify city priorities and secure international partnerships.

Towards a National City Diplomacy Framework

By the close of the workshop, organizers announced that the day’s inputs would feed into the development of a comprehensive City Diplomacy Framework for Kenya, marking a significant step toward structuring how cities engage on the international stage. Participants acknowledged that although Kenyan cities are already active in global networks and partnerships, their efforts remain scattered in the absence of a unified national strategy.

There was broad agreement that institutionalization, coordination, and public accountability must anchor the next phase of Kenya’s city diplomacy agenda if urban centers are to unlock greater investment, foster innovation, and strengthen inclusive development.

The event concluded on a clear note of shared purpose: Kenya’s long‑term prosperity will hinge on the strength of its cities, and empowering them with the right strategy, skills, and structures is now an urgent national priority. The momentum generated in Nairobi signals a decisive shift—one in which cities are no longer peripheral actors, but central drivers of Kenya’s global engagement and urban transformation.