'Gov't was in a dilemma,' PS Sing'oei defends decision to repatriate four Turkish nationals

Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei has come out to justify the government’s decision following the controversial repatriation of four Turkish nationals which has attracted global condemnation.

Speaking during an engagement with civil society leaders on Tuesday, PS Sing’oei termed the move the “bigger good,” reiterating that the nation had to balance diplomatic principles and maintaining mutual ties with other nations.

The PS underscored that the four Turks were facing grievous and treasonous charges and thus the need to repatriate them to ensure Kenya did not interfere with Turkey's internal affairs.

"The issue of being accused of harbouring subversive elements within your country who are undertaking activities detrimental to another country is very serious and you cannot ignore it. This is a very difficult dilemma for Kenya and people who think it is easy have to know that it is very difficult because there are two principles which we hold dear." he said.

"The principle of non-interference on the internal affairs of another country is a rock-solid principle that goes to the very founding of states."

Sing’oei argued that despite Kenya facing global condemnation for risking the lives of the four Turks, the government had to make the “difficult decision” so as to recuse itself from the affairs of another nation and to promote peace and unity between the two countries.

He highlighted Turkey's global reach as a foreign investor in the African continent saying that it was critical for Kenya to consider the bilateral relations.

"The State in question, Turkey, is a big player in the region as you know; it is involved in Somalia, Ethiopia, around our neighbourhoods," he said.

"If you view the matter from a peace and security lens, you can see the dilemma that sometimes we are confronted with. So it is not a delusion or a departure from our cardinal principles necessarily, but this is where diplomacy operates within the range of balancing interests and thinking in terms of what is the bigger good in this context."

He added: "Sometimes we’d rather be on the side of caution and sometimes that is a consistent principle. Sometimes we may take a position that appears completely out of tandem with principle but I can tell you that in this case it is very well considered position."

The four Turks - Mustafa Genç, Öztürk Uzun, Alparslan Taşçı, and Hüseyin Yeşilsu - were deported after a suspected abduction in Nairobi's Kileleshwa area.

On Monday, PS Sing’oei confirmed the repatriation saying that Kenya had received assurances from the Turkish authorities that the four would be treated with dignity in keeping with national and international law.

Following the move, human rights bodies, including the International Commission of Jurists, as well as Amnesty International, questioned the government for the forceful repatriation of the individuals, saying that by so doing, Kenya had risked the lives of the four as they would certainly face political persecution or even death once they land back home.