Kenyan president demands equal treatment, respect for African decisions

The Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said to the diplomatic community in Uganda’s capital, Kampala on Saturday night condemning what he describes as the international system that “relegates Africa to the periphery”. He said, “I cannot think of any African I know who did not accept that the United Kingdom had the right to choose to leave the European Union. But if Africans attempt to exercise their sovereign will – if Africans attempt to exercise their sovereignty, and to democratically set aside international commitments which no longer work for them – we hear a barrage of voices which tell us we can’t.”

The President also warned that if the international order “that defends injustice and double standards” is not altered, the recent gains and progresses made by the African continent with will be lost. “The opportunities that lie before us today are especially ripe. Africa is rising – and it is rising no matter what the naysayers tell us. The tremors of that rise will be felt far and wide,” he added. “For our partners from around the world, let it be clear that we are partners. Mutual respect is what we seek.”