Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has placed a high-stakes diplomatic wager by outlawing the Muslim Brotherhood, thrusting Kenya in the middle of a geopolitical duel between her Gulf allies and US President Donald Trump.
Mr Murkomen’s gazette notice was published on September 19 – barely 24 hours before President William Ruto flew to New York to attend the 80th United Nations General Assembly (Unga).
Some analysts see this as part of President Ruto’s calculated steps to lobby the Trump administration, but which could pour cold water on Kenya’s friendship with Gulf allies like Turkey and Qatar, which are viewed as backers and associates of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Mr Murkomen’s declaration came barely two months after Texas Senator Ted Cruz introduced a Bill to declare the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO).
Public statements by President Trump’s Secretary of State, Marc Rubio, have sent strong signals that Washington DC would rather Mr Cruz’s Bill sails through the US Senate.
US Senator Ted Cruz of Texas speaks on the third day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 20, 2016. AFP PHOTO | TIMOTHY CLARY
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei declined to comment on Mr Murkomen’s move and its potential diplomatic impact, instead passing the buck to the Interior CS.
Mr Murkomen’s media relations team promised to send the CS’s remarks after he presides over the ongoing Jukwaa la Usalama forum in Mandera County.
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura termed our inquiries "sensitive security questions" and declined to respond in detail.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar Hassan al-Banna in 1928. Egypt outlawed the group in 2013. Its leaders are spread out in different Gulf Countries like Lebanon, Qatar and Turkey.
Qatar has consistently declined to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. Doha has been linked to supporting Muslim Brotherhood activities, but it maintains that it only supports legitimate Islamic movements.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s administration has openly backed the Muslim Brotherhood, and shares strong diplomatic ties with Kenya. Kenya in 2024 allowed a group of Turkish intelligence operatives to capture and repatriate four individuals who were strong critics of President Erdogan.
For Gulf monarchies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Brotherhood represents a political threat. Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, one of Kenya’s key African partners, has outlawed the group and views it as existential opposition. Kenya’s decision, therefore, strengthens bonds with these influential states, both diplomatically and economically.
For David Monda, an international relations scholar, the decision speaks volumes about Kenya’s foreign policy orientation and its delicate balancing act between local realities and global alliances.
“Kenya is trying to remain in the good books of the Trump Administration,” he argues, noting that US Senator James Risch’s recent critique of Kenya’s reliability as a Major Non-Nato Ally has heightened pressure on Nairobi to align itself closely with Washington’s counterterrorism agenda.
Prof Monda was referring to an amendment by Mr Risch, which seeks to review Kenya’s designation as a Major Non-Nato ally on account of alleged interactions with institutions that are hostile to the US, and the harsh crackdown on youths who have since 2024 criticised President Ruto’s administration.
“Nairobi gets most of its intelligence from the US and its partners. So this move falls in line with that need to continue strategic partnerships and security cooperation with the US,” Prof Monda added.
This suggests the designation is less an independent assessment of Kenya’s domestic threat environment, and more a reflection of Western security partnerships.
There is no publicly available evidence suggesting that the Muslim Brotherhood has strong networks, financing channels, or recruitment drives in Kenya similar to those of militant actors in the Horn of Africa like the al-Shabaab.
Al-Shabaab militants in Elasha Biyaha, Somalia, on February 13, 2012.
Photo credit: AFP
Prof Monda, however, downplayed the likelihood of the ban triggering a resurgence of underground networks.
“Kenyan terror cells have been severely repressed or expelled. Kenya has not had a major terror attack for a while and seems to be concentrating on neutralising the terrorists in Somalia before they strike Kenya.”
Mr Murkomen’s move has ignited some grumbling within President Ruto’s UDA backyard, with the party Secretary-General Hassan Omar stating in a recent media interview that designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation risk alienating Kenya’s Islam community.
Mr Omar held that the government should focus on actual terror threats facing the country, rather than adopting blanket bans tied to international controversies.
Prof Monda, however, believes Nairobi can navigate this carefully and ensure that it maintains good relationships with Qatar and Turkey.
“I don’t think it’s a binary choice. Kenya can still designate the Brotherhood as a terror group in line with the US, but also maintain good relations with Qatar and Turkey that benefit from Kenya’s anchor nation status in the Horn of Africa,” he said.
He points out that Qatar’s role as a diplomatic intermediary, even with Islamist movements, is useful to both Washington and Nairobi, especially in peacemaking efforts from the Middle East to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen during a security forum at Sarova Woodlands Hotel in Nakuru on August 12, 2025.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Yet while Kenya's move may please Washington, London, and Cairo, it could unsettle Muslim communities at home, particularly along the Kenyan Coast and in Nairobi’s Eastleigh district.
“The government could lose face with its population, especially Muslim minorities at the Coast,” Prof Monda warns. “It could also radicalise sections of the Muslim population to carry out jihadi terror attacks in opposition to the Kenyan government or towards Western interests in Kenya,” he added.
Brian Muchiri, an advocate, said that Mr Murkomen’s declaration and gazette notice can be challenged in court, unless the Interior CS proves that the Muslim Brotherhood backs terrorist activities in Kenya.
“We have seen Kenya doing PR activities with the aim of showing a positive image out there. Chances are that Kenya’s move to designate the entity is aimed at pleasing the US so as they are in good books,” said Mr Muchiri of M B Muchiri and Company Advocates.
