The Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Korir Sing’oei, has reaffirmed Kenya’s strict adherence to the One-China policy, stating that the country does not recognise Taiwan as a separate sovereign entity within its diplomatic or border control frameworks.
His statement follows the denial of entry to scientists from Taiwan who intended to attend the Our Ocean Conference 2026, currently taking place in Mombasa.
Dr Sing’oei asserted that Kenya’s position is rooted in its established diplomatic alignment with the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government representing all of China.
In a statement released by the Foreign Affairs Ministry on Wednesday evening, he said, “Any person purporting to hold a Taiwanese passport would ordinarily not be allowed through our borders for lacking proper documentation.”
The Principal Secretary further indicated that any entry authorisation issued via the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system would constitute an administrative processing error, not a policy deviation.
He stated, “If, by dint of eTA, authorisation has been issued, it represents a system error on this subject. In any event, such a passport holder would not be part of a formal state meeting convened by the Kenyan government.”
The Kenyan government’s longstanding position officially recognises the People’s Republic of China as the sole legitimate government representing all of China, considering Taiwan an inalienable part of Chinese territory. Nairobi has, on numerous occasions, firmly opposed any form of Taiwanese independence and supports efforts towards China’s peaceful reunification.
The Our Ocean Conference in Kenya is one of many international conventions from which delegates from Taiwan have been barred. Last month, member states of the World Health Organization rejected a proposal to invite Taiwan to its annual assembly in Geneva.
