Kenya should not be boxed into choosing sides when it comes to international trade, former KNUT Secretary General MP Wilson Sossion has said, urging the country to maintain its sovereignty in shaping global partnerships.

Speaking on a local political talk show on a local television station on Thursday, August 7, 2025, Sossion defended Kenya’s expanding trade relationship with China, dismissing concerns that closer security ties with the United States, particularly Kenya’s recent designation as a major non-NATO ally, should restrict the country’s business dealings with other global powers.

“When you talk of countries like China, they buy most of our agricultural goods, and we have traded with China for a long time. It cannot be that when Kenya is a non-NATO ally of the US, it stops doing business with China. That is not the philosophy,” Sossion said.

He emphasised that even the world’s leading superpowers engage in mutual trade despite ideological or strategic differences. “In any case, China and the US are trading partners in other aspects, very great trading partners. Most of the Chinese goods have their markets in the US and vice versa,” he added.

Sossion cautioned against what he termed ‘dirty fights’ between rival geopolitical interests, arguing that Kenya must focus on what best serves its national agenda. “Getting into a dirty fight is not in the interest of this country,” he said.

Critics have raised questions about whether the designation could compromise Kenya’s neutrality, particularly in dealings with China, Russia, or other eastern partners. However, Sossion dismissed such fears and reiterated the need for a balanced and independent approach.

“The President has made this very clear, that people should not be uncomfortable when we trade with others. As a free country, we are a sovereign state, so we define our relationship with other nations,” he said.

Sossion’s comments reflect a growing call within sections of Kenya’s political class for a non-aligned, pragmatic foreign policy that safeguards both economic interests and national independence. This comes as concerns are raised in the United States Congress regarding Kenya’s military capabilities and its increasing collaboration with China.

His remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of Kenya’s foreign policy direction, particularly its balancing act between East and West.