Kenyan minister slams Rwanda, but what are the facts?

By Brian Okoth

A Kenyan minister's remarks on Rwanda's style of leadership and size have triggered criticism from within and outside Kenya.

On December 18, Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen called Rwanda an "autocracy" during an interview on Kenya's privately-owned television station, Citizen.

He said that in Rwanda, the president's word is law.

Murkomen had been asked why Kenya could not improve its public transport to work in an orderly manner like it was in Rwanda.

The Kenyan government has, on several occasions, raised concern about disorder in the public transport sector.

Rwanda a 'brotherly' nation

In response, Murkomen said: "Here (in Kenya), people cause chaos, go to court… So, every decision you make 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.

Kenya's Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei in an apparent damage control measure took to X social media platform and called Rwanda a "brotherly" nation, and that Rwanda's President Paul Kagame was "an iconic leader whose bold leadership is admired at home and abroad."

Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga faulted Murkomen, saying in a statement on December 19 that the minister's remarks could harm Kenya's relationship with Rwanda.

'Vision, not size makes a nation'

"The coarse language used against the great country and friendly people of Rwanda is most unfortunate… It is not the size that makes nations, but the vision and leadership," Odinga said.

Is Rwanda smaller than Kenya's Kajiado County as claimed by the Kenyan minister? The answer is no.

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.

Rwanda, located in Kenya's southwest, is about 26,338 square kilometres, and has a population of slightly more than 13 million people.

Autocracy?

Is Rwanda an autocracy? An autocracy is a system of government where one person has unlimited power over the others.

Rwanda holds elections regularly to fit the basic definition of a democracy, and has a bicameral parliament that "legislates and oversees the Executive's action on behalf of the people of Rwanda." However, critics have often alleged that power is controlled by a few.

In terms of trade, how does Rwanda relate with Kenya? The two nations are key trading partners, with records showing that Rwanda is a major export market for Kenya in Africa, behind only Tanzania and Uganda.

Kenya's key market

In 2022, Kenya exported commodities worth $295 million to Rwanda, according to the UN. Animal and vegetable oils, steel, paper, plastics were among the leading exports to Rwanda.

Rwanda, on the other hand, exported commodities worth $12 million to Kenya. Cereal, flour, milk, spices, coffee and tea were the leading exports to Kenya.