President William Ruto's decision to appoint former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as Special Envoy to South Sudan has yet again thrust Kenya into the international limelight at a time when its image abroad has taken a beating.
Raila's visit to Sudan in a bid to arrest the conflict threatening to explode to full-scale war following the arrest of second Vice president Riek Machar has been interpreted as a strategy for a fresh approach to Kenya's foreign relations that has suffered major setbacks owing to diplomatic gaffes. "I had a telephone conversation with President Salva Kiir about the situation that led to the arrest and detention of First Vice President Riek Machar in South Sudan.
After consultations with President Museveni and PM Abiy (Ethiopia) I'm sending a special envoy to South Sudan to engage, try to de-escalate and report back to us," the President announced on his X platform yesterday.
The tension in South Sudan has attracted regional and international observers with the US urging President Kiir to release Machar maintaining it was time the country's leaders demonstrated their commitment to peace. "We are concerned by reports that South Sudan's First Vice President Machar is under house arrest," Washington's Bureau of African Affairs wrote on X.
