President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday, November 23, inked a lucrative deal with South Africa.
Kenyatta and his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, witnessed the signing of eight key bilateral agreements, ushering in a new dawn of cooperation between the two African nations.
The agreements were signed after the two Heads of State led their delegations in bilateral talks at Union Buildings in Pretoria. The eight Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are in health, transport , diplomatic consultations, training, tourism and migration.
“In addition to strong bilateral relations which span a wide range of areas, Kenya and South Africa are close partners at the regional and global stage," President Kenyatta stated.
Other agreements signed include the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) as well as MoU's on Government Printing Works and the return of nationals refused entry and illegal entrants.
While addressing the press, Kenyatta hailed the great diplomatic relations the two counties have enjoyed spanning nearly 30 years. He reaffirmed Kenya's commitment to work with South Africa in driving the aspirations of the people of the two countries through the promotion of the African agenda.
“…you will agree with me that it is only by working together that we can achieve the desired outcomes for closer bilateral cooperation and strategic partnerships. We have definitely made good strides. However, there is scope to even do better,” President Kenyatta reiterated.
Ramaphosa welcomed the signing of the MoUs affirming that it provided an opportunity to take stalk of the current state of bilateral relations and explore new areas of mutual interest and benefit for the citizens of the two countries.
“President Kenyatta and I have reaffirmed the strategic importance of bilateral relations between our two countries and reiterated our desire to elevate the nature of the relationship, which would include the conclusion of a Strategic Partnership Agreement,” the South African Head of State remarked.
The two leaders heaped praise for each other with Kenyatta commending Ramaphosa's leadership during his tenure as the chair of the African Union. He also expressed gratitude for South Africa's support for Kenya's bid to join the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member.
In response, Ramaphosa lauded the East African state for the unwavering support during the struggle for its freedom.
After their meeting, Kenyatta proceeded for closed-door talks with his host President Ramaphosa.
Some of the leaders who accompanied Kenyatta to South Africa include Cabinet Secretaries Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs), Betty Maina (Industrialization), Najib Balala (Tourism), Mutahi Kagwe (Health) and James Macharia (Transport) as well as Kenya's High Commissioner to South Africa, Catherine Muigai Mwangi.
Other senior Government officials in the President’s delegation included State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita, Housing Principal Secretary Charles Hinga and Deputy State House Comptroller George Kariuki.
