Ruto Deletes Tweet Dumping Country After President Attends Swearing-In

The president had met Morocco's King, His Majesty Mohammed VI at State House in Nairobi on Wednesday, September 14 and put out the tweet which denounced Sahrawi as an independent state from Morocco. 

Ruto Deletes Tweet Dumping Country After President Attends Swearing-In
President William Ruto (right) with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at State House Nairobi on September 14, 2022. /WILLIAM RUTO

Kenyans raised questions regarding diplomatic ties between the country and Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) after President William Ruto had pulled down a tweet which announced that Kenya had rescinded relations between the two nations.

The president had met Morocco's King, His Majesty Mohammed VI at State House in Nairobi on Wednesday, September 14 and put out the tweet which denounced Sahrawi as an independent state from Morocco. 

In addition, the president committed to ensuring that Kenya revokes the presence of SADR by closing down the embassy, which is located in Kilimani, Nairobi.

President William Ruto (right) with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at State House Nairobi on September 14, 2022. /WILLIAM RUTO

"At State House in Nairobi, received a congratulatory message from His Majesty King Mohammed VI. Kenya rescinds its recognition of the SADR and initiates steps to wind down the entity’s presence in the country.

"Kenya supports the United Nations framework as the exclusive mechanism to find a lasting solution of the dispute over Western Sahara," he wrote before it was deleted hours later.

Beforehand, the kingdom of Morocco had welcomed Ruto's move, saying that it would work in strengthening the diplomatic relations between the two countries in the next six months.

Morocco was also looking forward to Kenya opening its embassy in Rabat.

Both countries had highlighted key bilateral areas such as fishing, agriculture as well as fertiliser imports that they agreed would be strengthened.

To be specific, Morocco is considered one of the top fertiliser exports in the world.

SADR's President Brahim Ghali had previously graced Ruto's inauguration at Kasarani Stadium on Tuesday, September 13 alongside other Heads of States.

SADR has been seeking to transition from its current semi-autonomous state into a full-blown state for over 40 years.

Morocco, however, controls 80 per cent of the land and seeks the country to be under its rule.

Kenya was one of the 41 United Nations (UN) member states that recognised Sahrawi as a state and called for the end of its conflict with Morocco.