Green diplomacy in action: navigating international law for Kenya’s sustainable aviation fuel transition

The aviation industry’s significant carbon footprint necessitates the urgent adoption of sustainable practices. Kenya’s sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) initiatives emerge as a pioneering model within this context, demonstrating a blend of environmental innovation and strategic green diplomacy. This paper analyses Kenya’s strategic engagement with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) mechanism and bilateral partnerships to overcome the financial and technical barriers associated with the deployment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Unlike most previous studies that have focused on transitions in the Global North, the current paper focuses on revealing how Kenya employs multilateral platforms and approaches to overcome barriers and negotiate financial and technological support suitable for the African context. The study argues that Kenya adopts a developmental green diplomacy approach, allowing itself to balance its international commitments with industrialisation agendas through strategies such as coalition building with other nations from the Global South in ICAO negotiations, aligning SAF policies with regional frameworks, and creating investment incentives through bilateral air service agreements. The paper demonstrates how Kenya is reshaping the global aviation climate even though it is excluded from the Paris Agreement’s direct mandates.