Why joining BRICS could be an appealing proposition for Kenya

The world has two key sectors: private and public. The private sector is seen as more efficient and less bureaucratic.

Business schools love the private sector. The public sector is seen as “untidy". Yet it significantly affects the private sector through rules and regulations.

The private sector employs more people than the public sector, which is funded through taxes and levies.

Not many “A” students want to get into the public sector, despite the fact that it has the most complex problems with no precedent.

That is why the sector struggles.

The public sector (read: the government and its agencies) has another top layer: international organisations that involve many countries. The United Nations (UN), World Trade Organisation (WTO), East African Community (EAC, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), East African Community (EAC, European Union (EU) and more recently Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS).

Original BRICS members were Brazil, Russia, India, China and later South Africa, hence BRICS. Academics rarely study these organisations; how are they run?

How do they achieve their objectives? Yet their policies and action plans affect us. Let's focus on BRICS, which was formed in 2009 and had a summit in India last week. 

BRICS has now grown to 11 countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.

It seems to be a counterweight to the Western dominance in supranational organisations like the UN, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank. That is rarely stated explicitly.

The BRICS Summit  2026  website has some interesting data; these countries have about 50 per cent of the global population, 26 per cent of global trade and 40 per cent of the global GDP.

Our neighbour Uganda is a partner state. The cited areas of cooperation in BRICS include politics and security, economy and finance and cultural and people-to-people exchange.

The annual meetings give an idea of what BRICS stand for. In the 2026 summit, the theme was “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”

The 45-page New Delhi Declaration and 140 articles are a heavy read; coffee should not be far and not in the afternoon.

BRICS' focus on the Global South and emerging and developing countries is one of its key appeals. Names of countries beyond BRICS and partner states are avoided. Diplomacy?

Some of the highlights include improving global governance by promoting a more just, equitable, agile, effective, efficient, responsive, representative, legitimate, democratic and accountable international and multilateral system in the spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits.

Others, according to the website, are meaningful participation and representation of Emerging Market and Developing Countries (EMDCs), as well as Least Developed Countries (LDCs), especially from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean.

This resonates well with developing countries and their plight, low growth, debt burden, and legacy of colonialism.

The issue of women at the top is highlighted, including heading the UN.  Africa and Asia are underrepresented at global governance levels, BRICS says.

The trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity and fight against discrimination curiously comes early in the doc.

BRICS calls for reforms at the UN and Bretton Woods institutions to represent developing countries and have India and Brazil join the Security Council. More reforms are needed at the WTO and in the multilateral trading system to cater for the Global South.

On peace and security, BRICS calls for a multilateral approach and nuclear nonproliferation. Middle East, Cuba, the war in Gaza and the Palestinian question are addressed. Lebanon, Syria and Sudan are identified as hot points. The status of Jerusalem is highlighted.

 Other issues addressed include terrorism, Illicit flows, Corruption, Use of space Technology for peace and ICT for good. Later, artificial intelligence (AI) is brought in and the need for its governance.

Economic growth includes health: mental, communicable disease and traditional medicine. China and India input on traditional medicine? The role of national health institutes and collaborations in the medical field is highlighted.

Agriculture and food security, including BRICS BRICS-proposed grain exchange, is mentioned. The inclusion of small-scale farmers and holders highlights the pragmatism of BRICS. Small, medium and micro enterprises are also discussed, along with the need for their financing.

Energy, its digitalisation, and the role of women and youth in it add to the declaration. The transition to renewables from fossil fuels and access to critical minerals is also highlighted.

You can guess who is behind fossil fuels and critical minerals. Remember Mrima Hill in Kenya? New Industrial partnership, entrepreneurship, startups and innovation take centre stage. Why are chemical production and photovoltaic power highlighted? You can easily guess the sponsors.

Science, technology and innovation are close to BRICS.  There is a proposal to build a BRICS submarine cable and the 7th call for research projects.  Reaching out to the next generation is noted through young innovators and scientists awards.

A curious focus is public digital infrastructure, where both India and China are leaders. The call for a digital safe space for children and senior citizens is noted. Remember the under-16 ban on social media?

Thinking of senior citizens is great. How does your grandmother react when all grandchildren and their parents are hooked on their phones?

Disaster management with linkage to climate change is mentioned. Protectionism is not welcome, while MSME financing, global value chains and Export Processing Zones (EPZs) are seen as economic pillars in the BRICS declaration. Why is diamond trading mentioned?

Financial issues include cross-border payment systems, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), insurance and reinsurance.

Others are central banking, settlement, green financing, taxation, and customs. Inclusion of women and youth in this space is noted.

Pension and ageing workforce, private capital in development, Logistics and transport, civil aviation, urbanisation, climatic change and debt burden got their space too. Climate issues loop in biodiversity, forests and indigenous people.

A new development bank to cater for the needs of emerging and developing countries is celebrated. An alternative to the World Bank? Is that why there is a call for change in global economic governance?

BRICS suggest more focus on competition, standardisation, use of statistics in decision-making, more intellectual property, and auditing.

Finally, on people-to-people cooperation, the issues are women, education, culture, tourism, youth, and justice. The forums for addressing these issues are listed. The next BRICS meeting is in China in 2027.

The breadth of issues and ambitions define BRICS. Will more countries join? What will be the Western reaction to the growth of BRICS? Should Kenya join BRICS?

The growth of BRICS will likely upset the world economic order. Who will be the losers and gainers? What is Kenya‘s place in the BRICS scheme of things?