Kenyans question Iran's motives for African diplomatic blitz

NAIROBI -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's recent visit to Kenya a year after the release of two Iranian citizens sentenced to life in prison on terrorism charges has raised questions among Kenyans.

Kenyan President William Ruto welcomed Raisi and his accompanying delegation in Nairobi on July 12, on the first leg of his three-day tour of the continent, which included stops in Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Before departing for Nairobi, Raisi described Africa as "the continent of opportunities".

During the visit, the two leaders signed five memoranda of understanding (MoU) to increase co-operation on information and technology, fisheries, animal health, livestock products, and investment promotion.

Ruto touted stronger collaboration with Iran as key to the Kenyan economy, pointing to increasing trade volumes between the two countries.

'More than meets the eye'

But many Kenyans have interpreted Raisi's visit to Kenya as a token of appreciation for the release of the two Iranian nationals, Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Sayed Mansour Mousavi, from maximum security prison last year.

Mohammad and Mousavi had been jailed in Kenya's Kamiti Maximum Security Prison for plotting attacks against the interests of the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia in Kenya.

Prosecutors told the High Court in Nairobi that the two suspects were linked to a network that was planning bombings in the Kenyan capital and the coastal city of Mombasa. Kenyan police and intelligence agencies thwarted both plots.

The two men were sentenced to life in prison in 2013 after they were found in possession of 15kg of explosives hidden in a sports club. A Kenyan High Court later reduced their sentences to 15 years after appeals.

The release of Mohammad and Mousavi last September surprised Kenyans and raised debate over whether convicted terrorists should be eligible for pardon under Kenya's "power of mercy" committee.

Now some are questioning the benefits of forging closer ties with Iran.

Raisi's trip to Nairobi is part of Tehran's diplomatic blitz in an attempt to win over African nations on international matters, said David Mugambi, an international relations lecturer at Meru University.

Iran needs help from Africa, he said, particularly at a time when its economy is in ruins amid crippling Western sanctions.

"The visit has been publicly propped up as an effort by Kenya and Iran to co-operate on mutual economic interests, but there has been modest trade between the two countries, so I suspect the visit has more than meets the ... eye," he said.

'Serious human rights violations'

During a joint news conference in Nairobi, Raisi said Iran aims to achieve a 10-fold increase in trade with Kenya. He also said Kenya can co-operate with Iran at regional and international levels in defending human rights and fighting drug smuggling.

Nairobi-based lawyer Eric Kamau, 36, scoffed at Raisi's comments on human rights, saying Iran has "the worst human rights record in the world".

"The world has witnessed cases of brutal attacks on demonstrators in Tehran, and we have not forgotten last September's brutal killing of Mahsa Amini in custody of Iran's 'morality police' for allegedly improper [head] coverage," Kamau said.

The Iranian regime has killed peaceful protesters and carried out executions in violation of international conventions, he said.

Raisi has no moral authority to discuss a topic that his administration is not ready to tackle, Kamau added.

"The most serious human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past four decades" have been committed since September 16, 2022, during the protests following Amini's death, Javaid Rehman, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council's special rapporteur for Iran, said in March.

In June, Iran Human Rights said the Iranian regime had carried out more than 300 executions from January to May 2023, with the rate in May being the highest monthly figure in the Islamic Republic since 2015.

Johnstone Mukeria, 47, a Kenyan schoolteacher, said the timing of Raisi's visit to Kenya is suspicious as the US and UK governments have accused Iran of supplying drones to Russia for use against the Ukrainian military, citizens and infrastructure.

Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has had a devastating economic impact on Africa, sending food prices soaring.

"[The visit] sends the wrong message to Kenya's traditional allies," she said.

Mukeria urged the Kenyan government to be very cautious about whom it embraces on the international stage to prevent getting caught in a diplomatic mess.

"You have to take a stand on who you align with, and you should not have a contradictory foreign policy," Mukeria said.

"Although Kenya has maintained diplomatic relations with Iran since 1963, Iran is isolated not only by the United States but also by the European Union," she said.

"Kenya should look at the bigger picture instead of losing itself while trying to befriend Tehran," she added.

Risky dancing with Iran

Robert Gichuki, manager of Delavine, a Nairobi-based cleaning company, said the visit was more in Iran's interest than in Kenya's.

"Who needs who in this equation?" he said. "Iran needs African votes on the UN General Assembly... and Kenya provides one of these valuable votes."

"Let's wait and see if the MoUs bear any fruit for Kenya, but my take is that our country should not be seen dancing too much with Iran while ignoring grave issues such as Tehran's role in global terrorism and the fact that it has the worst domestic human rights record, which can complicate relations with our traditional partners such as the EU, the UK, the US and Egypt," said Gichuki.

The United States has signed 75 new agreements with African nations worth $5.7 billion since December, a business gathering in Botswana heard July 12.

The United States also laid out $55 billion in projects over the next three years including in green energy, training for health workers and modernisation of internet networks, with the private sector pledging $15 billion led by investment in technology.

Kenya risks being a global laughingstock, condemning terrorism while it is cozying up with Iran, said Naomi Mbaka, 39, who works at a commercial bank in Kiambu county, pointing out that Iran is accused by the United States and other Western countries of being the financier and supporter of terrorist groups such as Hizbullah.

"Why invite a president [of a country] whose two spy agents planned to kill, maim and destroy Kenyan property?" she said.

"Our image as a country will be damaged abroad, and the release of the two Iranian terrorists was the last nail in the coffin of the war on terror," Mbaka said. "It raises questions about Kenya's commitment to fight terrorism and walk the talk when it is under pressure from countries like Iran and Russia."