Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Tuesday held high-level talks with top Israeli diplomats led by Gideon Behar, focusing on strengthening bilateral ties and assessing rising geopolitical tensions across the Middle East.
The meeting comes at a moment when the region is grappling with escalating military confrontations involving major world powers.
Discussions touched on shared priorities between Kenya and Israel, especially in security, trade, and technology cooperation.
The engagement follows Kenya’s official statement on Monday regarding the intensifying Iran–Israel–United States standoff, in which President William Ruto warned that the widening hostilities threaten global stability.
Ruto criticised Iran’s strikes on Gulf nations, cautioning that prolonged conflict risks destabilising global markets, particularly energy supply chains and international commerce.
CS Murkomen said the talks with Ambassador Behar centred on exploring deeper collaboration while maintaining Kenya’s stance on peaceful resolution and multilateral diplomacy.
“We discussed matters of international peace and security, including the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. I assured the Ambassador that Kenya supports the framework of multilateral institutions in resolving the conflict and efforts towards de-escalation,” Murkomen stated after the meeting.
Tensions escalated sharply after Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones on February 28 targeting several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, in retaliation for U.S.–Israeli strikes on its territory earlier that weekend.
Kenya has already begun to feel the heat of the conflict, with exports such as tea and flowers, as well as oil imports, experiencing disruptions.
In response to concerns over possible fuel shortages, Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi assured Kenyans on Tuesday that the country has enough petroleum reserves to last until the end of April.
Amid fears that the ongoing conflict could spill over into East Africa, the Iranian government has insisted that Kenya remains safe.
Iran’s Ambassador to Kenya, Ali Gholampour, clarified that Kenya is not within the target range of Tehran’s missiles.
“Our missiles will not reach Kenyan territory. Our government has limited their range strictly for defensive purposes,” he told the press on Monday.
