One of the top items on President Uhuru Kenyatta's agenda during his official visit to Cuba will be to seek the Carribean island nation's support in Kenya's bid to land a temporary seat on the United Nations (UN) Security Council.
In exchange for Cuba's vote, Kenya is expected to back their demand for the complete removal of the economic embargo imposed on Cuba by the United States (US) government.
"The President will seek support for Kenya’s candidature for the non-permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council for the period 2021-2022," President Kenyatta's spokesperson Manoah Esipisu stated after he left for Cuba on Tuesday.
The UN Security Council is one of the UN's principal organs and has 5 permanent members; Russia, United Kingdom, China, France and the United States.
The council also has 10 non-permanent members, but they lack substantive influence, with the positions mostly used to boost countries' images and put them in a better position to lobby for their interests within the international community.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta disembarking from a plane"]
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President Kenyatta is expected to enhance co-operation between Kenya and Cuba primarily in the health sector.
Cuba, under its socialist regime that began with Fidel Castro, boasts of one of the world's model healthcare systems.
In Cuba, the doctor to patient ratio is 1:150 while in Kenya, the same ratio is 1:16,000.
His team disclosed that he would push for Cuba to set up a pharmaceuticals plant in Kenya to serve the East African region.
“The President will explore how to build Kenyan capacity, increase the number of medical specialists in orthopaedic surgery, oncology, neurology, and trauma management; and collaborate in research on cancer and diabetes drugs, and eradication of malaria.Cuba is interested in registering and selling its pharmaceutical products in the Kenyan market. It is also keen to cooperate in vector control.
"President Kenyatta will encourage Cuba to set up a pharmaceutical plant in Kenya to serve the East and Central Africa regional market,” a statement from State House read in part.
[caption caption="Havana, Cuba's capital"]
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