On Thursday, April 9, Kenya expressed its support for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty and affirmed its intention to cooperate with like-minded states to promote its implementation.
Kenya’s position in favor of the Moroccan character of the Sahara was expressed during the first session of the Morocco-Kenya Joint Cooperation Commission, held in Nairobi and co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Dr. Musalia Mudavadi.
In the joint communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, Kenya "welcomed the growing international consensus and the momentum driven by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in support of the autonomy plan presented by the Kingdom of Morocco,” describing autonomy as "the only credible and realistic solution to resolve the dispute over the Sahara.”
Considering the autonomy plan presented by Morocco as a "sustainable approach” to resolving the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, Kenya stated its intention to "cooperate with like-minded states to promote its implementation.”
Furthermore, the Republic of Kenya welcomed the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797, which recognizes "the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the basis for a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable resolution of the dispute.”
In this regard, Kenya stated that it "supports the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to facilitate and lead negotiations based on the autonomy plan.”
In the same joint communiqué, the Kingdom of Morocco "welcomed the support of the Republic of Kenya for the United Nations framework as the exclusive mechanism to reach a lasting political solution” to the Sahara issue.
Morocco also expressed its "appreciation for Kenya’s recognition of the Kingdom’s ongoing cooperation with the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to advance the political process” based on relevant Security Council resolutions.