Kenya backs UN call to end US embargo on Cuba, cites "principled position"

Kenya backs UN call to end US embargo on Cuba, cites "principled position" - Kenya joined 136 countries at the UN in voting to continue debate on the decades-old US embargo on Cuba, reaffirming its longstanding support for Havana. (Photo: X/UN Geneva)

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei echoed the sentiment on X, describing it as a "principled position."

Kenya has once again reaffirmed its principled opposition to the United States' decades-long economic embargo against Cuba, voting in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution demanding an end to the blockade.

“The continued application serves neither justice nor international peace,” Kenya’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Yabesh Monari, told the assembly.

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei echoed the sentiment on X, describing it as a "principled position."

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By voting in favour of the resolution, Kenya joins the overwhelming majority of UN member states in opposing the unilateral embargo.

Officials in Nairobi describe this as a “pragmatic multi-alignment" approach that sees Kenya stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Washington on security and trade, while refusing to compromise its Global South solidarity on issues of economic justice.

The resolution received 130 votes in favour, 17 against, and 25 abstentions. It was the lowest level of support since 1995.

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For decades, the annual vote was a near-unanimous ritual. In recent years, the US has actively campaigned to erode that consensus, pressuring allies to abstain or vote against the measure.

The drop in support suggests that Washington's diplomatic offensive is yielding results, forcing smaller nations to choose between their principles and their relationship with the world's largest economy.

But while Nairobi continues to champion Havana on the floor of the UN, its physical diplomatic presence in the Cuban capital has vanished.

The silent withdrawal

Kenya recently shut down its embassy in Havana, shifting its Caribbean diplomatic operations to Kingston, Jamaica.

When reached for comment, the Foreign Office offered no official explanation for the closure, despite multiple inquiries.

For years, Havana served as Kenya’s primary diplomatic foothold in the Caribbean.

Closing the mission represents a significant shift in Nairobi's regional strategy, yet the government has refused to clarify whether the decision was driven by budget cuts, the logistical nightmare of operating under US sanctions, or a deliberate realignment of priorities.