Kenya on Wednesday formally recognised Kosovo, the southeastern European country that has been seeking independence from Serbia for more than two decades.
Albanian President Bajram Begaj confirmed it after Kosovan special envoy Behgjet Pacoli visited Nairobi and met with President William Ruto.
“Pleased that Kenya has recognised the state of Kosova today.
Later, Kenya’s Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Ministry said the decision followed an International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the independence of Kosovo.
“Kenya has recognised Kosovo in the interest of international peace and security, territorial integrity and in furtherance of strengthening relations with countries in the Balkans,” the ministry said.
Kenya has recognised Kosovo as a State.
Kosovo's declaration of independence on 17th February, 2008, received the endorsement of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) @CIJ_ICJ in 2010. Kenya has recognised Kosovo in the interest of international peace and security,… pic.twitter.com/L45ewdgnqP
— State Department for Foreign Affairs | Kenya (@ForeignOfficeKE) March 26, 2025
Nairobi had by Wednesday not made the decision public but a proclamation made available showed President Ruto had declared formal recognition, saying Kenya will proceed to recognise Kosovan passports, establish diplomatic relations and enter into bilateral agreements on other matters.
The move now brushes aside Serbian lobbying, which had campaigned heavily in Africa against recognising a territory it considers part of Serbia.
In October 2023, President Ruto met his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic on the sidelines of a conference in Beijing, China. The Serbian leader said he received assurances that Nairobi wouldn’t jump on the Kosovo recognition bandwagon.
Kosovo had declared independence in 2008. It claims 117 countries around the world recognise its independence, but only 10 in Africa have done so.
Russia and China do not recognise it either. And Moscow had previously vetoed Kosovo’s membership of the United Nations.
Kosovo is home to 1.9 million people, mostly ethnic Albanians but also Serbs.
A former member of Yugoslavia, it has had a long road to independence.
It was originally in the same country as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. After Yugoslavia broke up in 1991, it was part of Serbia and Montenegro, which broke up in 2008.
Serbia also declared independence in 2008, despite having wanted to secede since 1999.
The motivation for Kenya’s decision is not immediately clear, especially after it refused to do so in the past, and has increased technical cooperation with the Serbs.
