Relationship dossier
Cuba
Kenya
Relationship assessment
Healthcare cooperation, with a serious concern over the abduction of Cuban doctors in Kenya
Cuba toward Kenya
+20Cuba provided doctors to work in Kenya under a bilateral healthcare arrangement and trained Kenyan medical students. The abduction of Cuban doctors in Kenya in 2019 was a serious concern affecting the relationship.
Kenya toward Cuba
+20Kenya arranged for Cuban doctors to work in its healthcare system and sent medical students to Cuba for training. The 2019 abduction of Cuban doctors in Kenya created a significant security concern in the bilateral relationship.
Overall relationship
+20The relationship has a practical healthcare-cooperation foundation, including Cuban medical personnel working in Kenya and training for Kenyan students in Cuba. The abduction of Cuban doctors in Kenya in 2019 added a serious security-related strain. The breadth and durability of cooperation beyond healthcare are unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Cuba and Kenya have cooperated on healthcare, including a 2018 arrangement under which Cuban doctors worked in Kenya and Kenyan medical students received training in Cuba. The 2019 abduction of two Cuban doctors in Kenya became a serious bilateral concern. These ties indicate practical cooperation alongside a security-related strain, though the scope and continuity of the cooperation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- The 2019 abduction of two Cuban doctors in Kenya, with uncertainty over its outcome.
Key developments
A bilateral healthcare arrangement brought Cuban doctors to work in Kenya and included training for Kenyan medical students in Cuba.
Two Cuban doctors working in Kenya were abducted in Mandera.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope and implementation of the medical cooperation arrangements are unclear.
- The status and resolution of the abduction of Cuban doctors in Kenya are unclear.