Kenya is hosting the Africa Forward 2026 summit in partnership with France, the first of its kind held outside a Francophone country — the summit brings together African leaders and business executives from across the continent and beyond, according to Al Jazeera.

Strategic Defence Agreement

France and Kenya signed a defence cooperation agreement in April 2026. This was preceded by the arrival of 800 French troops in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa for a joint training exercise with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). Critics warned that Kenya could risk falling under the influence of a neo-colonial power, citing France’s history of unequal partnerships in West Africa.

The automatic five-year renewable deal includes partnerships in maritime security, intelligence, peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response; France has already deployed 600 military personnel to Kenya, with officials saying they will provide training for KDF personnel. The agreement grants French forces diplomatic-style immunity in Kenya and requires disputes to be resolved through diplomatic channels rather than Kenyan courts.

It also allows convicted French personnel to serve sentences in France and gives Paris primary jurisdiction over offences committed by its soldiers on Kenyan soil. Critics say the agreement favours France over Kenya and secures Paris’s strategic interests in the Western Indian Ocean, a key region for global shipping lanes, military positioning, and counterterrorism operations.

Economic and Strategic Benefits

For France. Kenya offers political stability. Economic opportunities. And strategic access to the Western Indian Ocean — For Kenya, the partnership promises investment, infrastructure development, security cooperation, and increased international influence, but France is currently Kenya’s fourth-largest foreign direct investment partner.

According to Kenyan government data, Kenya is the largest consumer of French products in East Africa — Today, France ranks among the largest investors in Kenya, having invested 1.8 billion euros ($2.1bn) over the past decade. As of 2026, at least 140 French companies operate in Kenya, up from 40 in 2013, showing growing interest in the Kenyan economy.

In March 2026, Business France East Africa, the French agency promoting business ventures between French companies and East Africa, in partnership with the French Chamber of Commerce in Kenya, launched a business guide to help French investors handle opportunities in Kenya. France is also the fifth-largest provider of foreign direct investment in Kenya, supporting about 46,000 direct jobs.

Concerns Over Sovereignty and Equality

Critics argue that while French businesses have easy access to the Kenyan market and French nationals have visa-free entry to Kenya, Kenyan citizens are not afforded the same privileges, casting doubt on whether the partnership is truly equal. Patricia Rodrigues, the Africa director at the Control Risks consulting firm, told Al Jazeera that both African and European authorities increasingly seek equal and mutually beneficial bilateral partnerships.

“Neither side is looking to be free from the influence of the other,” she explained. “The goal is to deepen strategic economic ties in a turbulent trade and geopolitical context. Both sides want to move away from models that prioritise the export of raw materials from Africa for processing abroad and away from aid-based relationships that create dependency.”

Rodrigues added that France, under Macron, is eager to strengthen ties with East and Southern Africa after facing rising anti-French sentiment in West Africa, particularly in the Sahel. Kenya’s position as a hub for Eastern Africa makes it a strategic entry point for France in the region, she said.

Kenyan politician Nelson Koech, who is also the chair of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence, and Foreign Relations, denied that France has been granted immunity. “It is completely untrue… we have said crimes like murder must be tried in Kenya,” he stated. “It doesn’t mean that because the French have had a bad relationship with West Africa, we cannot have a partnership with them. France has continued to support Kenya, not only in this agreement but also in different projects in this country,” Koech added.

Koech also said that a defence cooperation agreement does not mean that French forces deployed to Kenya will be in the country permanently. However, sources in parliament told Al Jazeera that France has been pushing to add a permanent troop presence in Kenya.

Kenyan politician Caleb Hamisi told Al Jazeera that the defence agreement leaves Kenya vulnerable as a proxy in international disputes, and has become highly unpopular among Kenyans. He pointed to the risk that foreign forces stationed in the country could involve Kenya in military operations or disputes that serve the strategic interests of other powers, rather than Kenya’s national priorities.

“Kenya has borne the brunt of international military-interstate relations that often present her as a proxy ground, and thus, susceptible to collateral war damage,” Hamisi said.