Kenya Cites U.S. Sanctions in Decision to Close Havana Embassy

For the first time, the Kenyan government openly acknowledged on Sunday that U.S. sanctions against Cuba significantly influenced its decision to shut down its embassy in Havana and relocate diplomatic activities to Kingston, Jamaica, as reported by Kenyan newspaper The Star.

This revelation was made by Kenya's Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Korir Sing'oei, during bilateral talks with Barbados' Senior Minister of Foreign Affairs, Christopher Sinckler, on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda.

Sing'oei stated that the move was intended to "provide temporary operational relief to embassy staff in Havana, Cuba," directly linking the relocation to administrative and financial challenges stemming from the U.S. embargo.

The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not specify the exact difficulties faced by its diplomats in Cuba. However, the embargo—ongoing for over six decades—has complicated international banking transactions, access to goods and services, and overall operations for diplomatic missions in Cuba.

This marks the first time Nairobi has explicitly connected the relocation with the impact of Washington's sanctions. Previously, the Kenyan government had portrayed the move as a strategic effort to strengthen ties with Jamaica and gain access to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) market.

The Kenyan embassy in Havana closed in August 2026, following a decade of operations since its inauguration in 2016 as Kenya's first diplomatic mission in the Caribbean. The new High Commission in Kingston began operations in July of the same year, with Karisa Mwenda—formerly the representative in Havana—serving as the first resident high commissioner.

The closure does not signify a break in relations: Cuba continues to have its embassy in Nairobi, and Kenya will remain accredited to the Cuban government through a non-resident ambassador based in Kingston.

Sing'oei's disclosure is particularly striking given Kenya's public stance against the embargo. On October 28, Kenya's Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Yabesh Monari, voted in favor of a resolution calling for an end to the sanctions, stating that the embargo "has caused suffering to ordinary Cubans, weakened their livelihoods, and exacerbated the country's economic hardships."

However, the UN resolution against the embargo received only 130 votes in favor, compared to 165 in 2025 and 187 in 2024, marking the worst outcome for Cuba since the resolution was first introduced annually in 1992.

Amid this regional realignment, Jamaica abstained for the first time in over three decades from voting on the Cuban embargo, indicating a growing distance from Havana among several Caribbean and African nations.

In 2026, the Trump administration intensified sanctions with new rounds targeting over 40 entities and at least 38 individuals linked to Cuba's military, energy, and financial sectors, and on May 1, signed Executive Order 14404 as a basis for additional measures, further complicating the operational environment for those maintaining diplomatic or commercial presence on the island.

"For more than six decades, the economic, commercial, and financial embargo against Cuba has been in flagrant contradiction with the principles upon which the United Nations was founded," Monari declared before the General Assembly, a stance that his own government contradicts in practice by withdrawing its diplomats from Havana due to the very sanctions it condemns.