William Ruto has won the presidency, but has not stopped hitting the road. Luis Tato/AFP
Kenya is proving to be a strong African voice for the US-backed coalition against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has devoted resources to regional security. In return, President Ruto wants the West to back his grand bargain: climate finance for Africa. After his inauguration on 13 September, Kenya’s President William Ruto had a decision to make: Should he double down on Kenya’s resolve to back Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion, or choose a more nuanced path like many of his African peers, who did not like being pushed to choose between Moscow or the US-backed alliance supporting Kiev?.