Kenya–Taiwan relations

Kenya has historically aligned with the One China policy, recognizing the People's Republic of China as the sole legal government of China, and rejecting any claims of Taiwanese independence.^[1]

In recent years, Kenya and Taiwan have engaged in technical cooperation in healthcare and trade or business promotion activities, though always under the constraints of Kenya’s non-recognition of Taiwan.^[2]

• Taiwan enterprises, through channels like the Taiwan Trade Center in Nairobi, organise business promotion events. For example, the "Taiwan BrandTech Inspired Business Connect Breakfast Meeting” (September 2024) was organised by the Taiwan Trade Centre in Kenya, enabling Kenyan businesses to network with Taiwanese machinery, manufacturing, and technology firms.^[3]

• Kenya is among African nations participating in Taiwan-led agricultural training programs. For example, in July 2024, Kenya was included among participants in the African Elites Program hosted in Pingtung, Taiwan, for three-week training in agriculture and friendly farming techniques.^[4]

• In September 2023, Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) announced cooperation with the Swiss NGO Terre des hommes to help Kenya with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs in drought-affected regions, particularly Garissa County.^[5]

• The Taiwan Trade Center, Nairobi exists to promote Taiwanese goods and facilitate business connections in Kenya and the East African region.

• The Taiwanese Emergency Assistance Association in Kenya was founded in March 2023 by Taiwanese agencies including the Taiwan Trade Center Nairobi to support Taiwanese businesspeople in Kenya.^[6]

Kenya explicitly reaffirms the One China principle. In state visits and bilateral declarations, Kenya has stated that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of China.^[7][8]

In April 2016, relations between Taiwan and Kenya were strained after Kenyan authorities deported a group of Taiwanese citizens to mainland China despite a Kenyan court order allowing their return to Taiwan. Five Taiwanese nationals, who had been acquitted of organized crime charges along with 35 Chinese citizens, were placed on a flight to Beijing. ^[9]

Taiwanese officials described the deportation as an "extrajudicial abduction", stating that the group had been forced onto a plane by Kenyan police using rifles and tear gas. Chinese authorities claimed the suspects were involved in telecoms fraud targeting Chinese citizens and should therefore be tried in China. ^[10]

The Kenyan government received praise from China for supporting the One China policy following the deportations.^[11] In 2025, similar deportations of Taiwanese fraud suspects from Malaysia and Cambodia to China later drew additional protests from Taiwan.^[12]

• Foreign relations of Kenya
• Foreign relations of Taiwan