A Geopolitical Safari in Kenya

A group of students from Uppsala and Lund visited Nairobi, the capital of the most democratic country in the Horn of Africa, last April. Here is what they learned.

Guess where Sweden’s largest embassy is? In London? Wrong answer. New York? Wrong again. Sweden’s largest embassy is to be found in Nairobi in Eastern Africa It opened soon after the early days of independence in 1963. The vibrant capital of Kenya is the home of a Swedish diplomatic team which consists of 30-40 people plus non-diplomatic local employees.

Interesting fact: the Swedish embassy in Nairobi is one of the few in the world to have not one, but two ambassadors. In addition to the ambassador for Kenya itself, the other bears responsibility for neighbouring Somalia – a country with a high level of insecurity, making it unsafe for him to live there. 

The Swedish Embassy is precisely where we were heading to on the fifth day of our amazing ten day journey to Kenya in April 2025. Our UF Travel Group – consisting of 16 students from Lund and Uppsala – arrived at the entrance for the security check. There, we were hosted by the Minister Counsellor Helge Flärd, who is both Deputy Head of the Mission and Head of Section for Politics and Trade.

Being the Deputy Head of the Mission means he is the second most important diplomat at the embassy, right after the Ambassador. As a number-two, he is the acting Ambassador when the latter is away. As the Head of Section for Politics and Trade, he also holds two very important portfolios (area of responsibility).

On a daily basis, he monitors the local political developments, builds relationships with local institutions, prepares policy reports to be sent to Stockholm, promotes Swedish economic interests, and coordinates trade promotion initiatives.

In his presentation, Mr. Flärd discussed the mission of the Swedish diplomats in the region. He helped us understand the major geostrategic issues that Sweden has to deal with. 

“The country lies on the Horn of Africa, close to the Red Sea, where 30 percent of European trade transits. The geostrategic aspect of Kenya’s location drives Sweden to be present here. When the region is unstable, this has a direct impact on European trade and imports”, said Helge Flärd referring to the piracy off the coast of Somalia and the hijacking of commercial ships in the Horn of Africa. “So it is in Sweden’s interest to contribute, along with other countries, to the region’s stability.” 

Therefore, Sweden pursues a policy of cooperation with Kenya on different levels, through a wide range of actions aiming at democratic development, strengthened human rights, peacebuilding, environmental resilience, and inclusive economic growth. This includes supporting independent media, electoral process reforms and fighting corruption amongst other things, as explained in UD’s webpage.

The deputy head of mission was very open about the fact that Sweden is not merely acting altruistically. Sweden has a self-interest in being present in Nairobi not only for the sake of regional stability but also because Kenya is a market for Swedish business abroad. Kenya has emerged as a market of interest to many large Swedish companies, such as SKF, ABB, Ericsson, Scania, and more. 

Another important topic discussed by our host was migration. As a matter of fact, the Migration Department at the embassy is very large. The task of its employees and diplomats is mainly to examine the applications for asylum seekers and other people looking for a residence or working permit in Sweden. Applicants are mostly non-Kenyans, coming from  Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia, where there are no Swedish embassies available. After two hours with Mr. Flärd, it was time for our UF Travel Group to explore other aspects of Nairobi.

One interesting stop we made was in Nairobi’s Chinatown. Whilst only four streets big, it still had a lot to offer in terms of restaurants, entertainment, and supermarkets selling Chinese goods. Walking around the neighbourhood gave us a sense of how China’s influence and presence is felt in Kenya, and maybe in the rest of the African continent as well. As Kenya’s national debt is mostly owned by China it creates a situation of economic dependence. 

On another day, we spent a whole morning in Kibera, which allowed us to understand what income inequality means. Located in Nairobi, it is the largest slum in Africa with 250,000 to 1 million inhabitants (estimates vary). Our guides were teenagers and young adults from Kibera working with Wale Wale Kenya, an NGO organizing meaningful activities for the local kids, as well as raising awareness about poverty.

The few hours we spent in Kibera left a lasting impression on us all. Kibera is a pretty well organized place with institutions like schools, a local economy with markets and shops and even a real estate market. Houses in Kibera are very modest and consist of shacks made of sheet metal and wooden planks. 

Another striking trait is that Kibera is a very lively place. People go up early to work (mostly in Nairobi or in Kibera market) while children go to the numerous primary schools located in the neighborhood. Overall, the atmosphere was quite good. We were nicely welcomed by the local population working with the NGO Wale Wale Kenya  who invited us to their homes. 

On the last day, our UF Travel Group went on a safari at the Nairobi National Park, located a one-hour drive from the capital city (The tourism industry is a sector of big importance for the national economy). Starting at sunrise, we were able to see giraffes, zebras, lionesses, hippos, rhinos, and monkeys. Seeing wild animals from as close as a five meters distance made all of us freaked out in euphoria.

The giraffes are with no doubt the most elegant of all of them, with their long neck and haughty head posture. Even though rhinos are the scariest, the hippos are the most dangerous. The monkeys are fascinating, fun and some of them are very ingenious thieves. Lionesses are both graceful and scary. As for us, we felt humbled by the beauty of nature but also by everything we had seen and learned during our unforgettable trip to Kenya which will be kept in our hearts and in our minds forever.