Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alfred Mutua on Tuesday, April 25, announced that Kenyans stood to benefit from more job opportunities in the US through easy access to visas and increased investment from American companies.
The statement came after Mutua, who was accompanied by his Trade counterpart Moses Kuria, met US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Part of the resolutions of the meeting, according to the CS, included the speeding up of Visa applications and opening access to more jobs for Kenyans in the United States.
“During a bilateral session, and in five intense pillar sessions, we discussed and agreed on our partnership in the areas of trade and investments for job creation and visas for youth empowerment, health, food security, climate change, regional peace and security.
"The United States is setting up a framework so that Kenyans can apply for jobs in the United States and speedily get visas to work in the United States. I encourage Kenyans to apply for jobs in the United States. The United States is also working on modalities to speed up visa processing at the Nairobi embassy to reduce the long waiting times," stated the CS.
Mutua further noted that Kenya had benefitted in four other areas from the high-powered delegation on tour in America that includes Kuria and Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary (PS), Korir Sing’oei.
Others included Interior PS Raymond Omollo, Investment Promotion PS, Abubakar Hassan, and Immigration and Citizens Services PS, Julius Bitok.
Additionally, CS Mutua hailed Kenya’s deal with American pharmaceutical company Moderna which is set to build a vaccine production factory in Kenya this year.
Furthermore, Blinken pledged to help Kenya upgrade the United Nations office in Gigiri, Nairobi. On security matters, the US pledged to support Kenya in efforts to stabilize the region. This comes after violence broke out in Sudan.
On March 20, 2023, President William Ruto invited delegates at the American Chamber of Commerce Regional Business Summit in Nairobi to invest in Kenya because it is a good investment destination.
President Ruto assured them of a favourable investment climate including cutting taxes for investors.
"One of the key challenges for our business community has been the VAT issue on exported services. This tax not only renders us uncompetitive, but it also inhibits investors seeking to make Kenya their regional or global services hub. Many companies are already operating out of Kenya and serving regional markets," Ruto stated.
