Kenya has reiterated its support for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, endorsing the Moroccan autonomy plan as the credible and realistic solution and vowed to collaborate with like-minded nations to implement this initiative, Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The ministry said this position was expressed on the occasion of the first session of the Morocco-Kenya Joint Cooperation Commission, co-chaired on Thursday in Nairobi by Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Mr. Nasser Bourita and Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Kenya Dr. Musalia Mudavadi.
In the Joint Communiqué inked at the end of this Joint Commission, Kenya “welcomed the growing international consensus and the momentum driven by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in favor of the autonomy plan presented by the Kingdom of Morocco,” describing autonomy as “the only credible and realistic solution to resolve the dispute over the Sahara.”
Deeming the autonomy plan presented by Morocco to be a “sustainable approach” to resolving the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, Kenya stated its intention to “cooperate with like-minded States to promote its implementation.”
The statement further said that Kenya also welcomed the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, which enshrines “the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the basis for a just, lasting and mutually acceptable resolution of the dispute.”
In this regard, Kenya stated that it “endorses the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to facilitate and conduct negotiations based on the autonomy plan.”
“In this Joint Communiqué, the Kingdom of Morocco welcomed the support of the Republic of Kenya for the United Nations framework as the exclusive mechanism to achieve a lasting political solution” to the dispute over the Sahara issue,” the statement,” the statement stressed.
Morocco further expressed its “appreciation for Kenya’s recognition of the Kingdom’s continued cooperation with the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to advance the political process” on the basis of the relevant Security Council resolutions.
The Morocco-Kenya Joint Cooperation Commission session, which follows the meeting of senior officials held in Rabat from October 1 to 3, 2025, was marked by the signing of eleven bilateral instruments covering agriculture, justice, health, maritime fisheries and aquaculture, gender equality and women’s empowerment, cultural cooperation, higher education, sports, wildlife, visa exemption for diplomatic, service and official passports, as well as a framework agreement relating to the granting of university scholarships, internships and the sharing of expertise.
These agreements add to the five memoranda of understanding initiated in May 2025 in the fields of diplomatic training, housing, trade cooperation, youth, and public service capacity building.
The two officials adopted the approved minutes of the Joint Commission, which constitute a strategic framework for cooperation aimed at guiding bilateral relations in priority sectors, as well as an implementation and monitoring mechanism ensuring coordinated execution of the agreed commitments.
In terms of trade and investment, both parties emphasized the need to correct the existing trade imbalance, expand market access for agricultural and value-added products, and encourage cross-investment in renewable energy, agro-industry, pharmaceuticals, automotive and infrastructure.
They also agreed to accelerate negotiations with a view to concluding agreements in the areas of ports, avoidance of double taxation, energy, air services, mining and tourism.
Regarding connectivity, the two officials decided to give priority to the resumption of direct flights between Kenya and Morocco in order to boost trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
