President William Ruto’s appearance at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) summit in New York weeks ago revealed the tightrope Kenya’s head of state walks in the world of global diplomacy. 

Far from the triumphs anticipated, Ruto faced unexpected challenges, both from African peers and the United States.

Ruto’s agenda was on climate change, where, as chair of the African leaders’ committee on climate change, he hoped to rally African nations behind a unified approach to address the continent’s environmental crises.

However, the meeting he hosted on the sidelines was met with indifference from fellow African leaders, especially the members of the committee who notably failed to attend.

This snub raised questions about Ruto’s influence in continental leadership and the commitment of African states to climate action under his stewardship.

Notably, only the Mauritania President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani who is also the AU rotational chair and the outgoing commission’s boss Moussa Faki who attended.

This committee comprises Algeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda and the chairperson of the African Union Commission.

“At the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Baku, Africa must present a compelling and unified voice for a new and equitable climate finance that matches the urgency and scale of the climate crisis, reflecting the needs of the continent and other developing countries,” Ruto posted on his X after hosting the extraordinary meeting of the Committee of the African Heads of State and Government.

But the diplomatic challenges did not end there.

In May, President Joe Biden had extended an invitation to Ruto for a state visit to Washington, signaling potential strengthening of US-Kenya relations.

Yet, during the UNGA, Ruto received little of the attention he expected from American leadership.

Biden, who is nearing retirement, did not engage with Ruto as much as anticipated, leaving Kenya’s diplomatic ambitions for deeper ties with the US somewhat unfulfilled.

Ruto, however, engaged the US secretary of state Anthony Blinken on the sidelines.

Efforts to salvage the optics of the visit surfaced when State House Director of Public Communications Gerald Bitok circulated a clip purporting to show Biden praising Ruto for his “sacrifice and exceptional leadership.”

The clip, however, misrepresented Biden’s speech, which made no specific mention of Ruto.

Instead, the US President had spoken generally about the United Nations’ role in peacebuilding and mentioned Kenya’s role in leading the Haiti mission, without singling out any individual leader for praise.

The spin attempt highlighted the gap between the expectations Ruto had for his US visit and the reality of the diplomatic reception.

Ruto’s top foreign policy official, Sing’oei Korir, reported that the president attended a luncheon hosted by U.S. president Joe Biden for leaders and delegations at the UNGA Summit.

However, State House Nairobi has yet to release a photo of the President with Biden, an unusual occurrence, as State House typically provides back-to-back updates and images of every meeting Ruto engages in.

For a president looking to elevate Kenya’s profile on the global stage—whether in climate action, regional security, or economic partnerships—the snubs in New York highlight the complexities of global diplomacy and the need for recalibrating strategies in dealing with both African counterparts and Western powers.

This episode marks a significant moment in Kenya’s foreign policy, raising important questions about the nation’s role in global climate diplomacy and its relations with long-standing international partners.

For President Ruto, the UNGA summit was a reminder that diplomacy is as much about perception as it is about substance, and managing both is crucial for any leader aiming to leave a lasting mark on the global stage.