By Brian Okoth
A Kenyan minister's remarks on Rwanda's style of leadership and size have triggered damage control from the Kenyan government to ostensibly avert a diplomatic tiff between the East African Community (EAC) neighbours.
On Monday, Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen called Rwanda an "autocracy" during an interview on Kenyan privately-owned Citizen Television.
He had been asked why Kenya could not improve its public transport to work in an orderly and effective manner like it was in Rwanda.
The Kenyan government has, in several public addresses, raised concern about lawlessness, especially in the public transport sector where minibuses, known locally as matatus, defy traffic rules, leading to deadly accidents.
'Autocracy'
In response, Murkomen said: "We must live with certain expectations as a country that come with democracy. Rwanda is an autocracy. There, whatever the president says is the law."
He added: "Here (in Kenya), people cause chaos, go to court… So, every decision you make (as a government) in this country, you must go through a proposal first, then parliament, then public participation, and after going through all that process, you will have to go through the court…"
The minister suggested that managing Rwanda's public transport system was easier because it is a "small country" by land mass.
"The size of Rwanda, of course, is almost the size of… Kajiado County (in Kenya) is even bigger," Murkomen said.
'We are different'
Rwanda, a country located in Kenya's southwest, is about 26,338 square kilometres, and has a population of slightly more than 13 million people.
Kajiado County, which borders Kenya's capital Nairobi to the south, is about 21,293 square kilometres in size, and has slightly more than 1.1 million people.
"So, you cannot compare the political situation in Rwanda, and the size of the country with our country (Kenya) and our democracy," Murkomen said.
"If we were a military state… You know some countries execute people even for a small offence. We cannot do this in our country, we are different. And we must negotiate through the legal processes," he added.
'Sovereign, friendly state'
The minister's remarks trended on X, formerly Twitter, in Kenya on Monday through Tuesday, with the name 'Rwanda' occupying the top spot on X trends throughout that period.
Kenyan lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi was among those who called out Murkomen over his remarks, saying the statement could jeopardise Kenya's relationship with Rwanda.
"Minister @kipmurkomen can't attack a sovereign, friendly state without provocation and disparage President @PaulKagame just like that," Abdullahi said on X.
"This is embarrassing. Ministers must be taken through a crash course, teaching them the responsibilities that come with their new constitutional offices. Very soon, Kenya will be a pariah state in the hood," he added.
Damage control
In efforts to do some damage control, Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei said on X on Tuesday that Rwanda was a "brotherly" nation, and that Rwanda's President Paul Kagame was "an iconic leader whose bold leadership is admired at home and abroad."
Murkomen also took to X to self-correct, saying he had "expressed my admiration for Rwanda's style of leadership, which has made it possible for them to build good infrastructure, including a new airport and enforce discipline and order on their roads."
He added: "Our (Kenya's) style of leadership has many positives, but it's too bureaucratic and takes years to make a very simple decision which ends up being very costly for our people."
The minister, however, did not apologise to Rwanda or Kagame over his remarks made on television.
Key trading partners
The Rwandan government was yet to respond to Murkomen's remarks as of the time of publishing this story.
Kenya and Rwanda are key trading partners, with records showing that Rwanda is a major export market for Kenya.
In 2022, Kenya exported commodities worth $294.47 million to Rwanda, according to the United Nations data on international trade. Animal and vegetable oils, steel, paper, plastics, salt and fertilisers were the leading exports to Rwanda.
Rwanda, on the other hand, exported commodities worth $11.88 million to Kenya during that period. Cereal, flour, milk, spices, coffee, tea and wood were the leading exports to Kenya.
Kenya has been accused of engaging in actions that risk straining its relationship with its neighbours.
Kenya denies frosty relationship with neighbours
Most recently, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recalled its ambassador to Kenya after Nairobi played host to Congolese rebel group leaders, who launched an alliance on December 15.
Kenyan President William Ruto said on Sunday that the DRC's government asked him to arrest the rebel alliance leaders for "making a statement" but he refused, terming such an arrest "undemocratic."
Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania and Uganda are some of the neighbouring nations that have had moments of diplomatic unease with Kenya recently.
Ruto told Kenyan journalists in an interview on Sunday that speculation over Kenya's poor relationship with its neighbours was unfounded, and that his country enjoys a cordial relationship with the mentioned nations.
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