President William Ruto on Monday, October 10, sealed seven key deals with his Tanzanian Counterpart, Samia Suluhu aimed at bolstering mutual relations between the two countries.
In a joint press briefing held at State House, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, both Heads of State agreed to extend the foundation set by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta in eliminating trade barriers and enhancing regional cooperation.
Here is a breakdown of the deals the two leaders agreed on:
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Trade Relations
The two agreed to eliminate the pending issues that are affecting trade relations between the two countries. According to President Suluhu, her administration, in conjunction with former president Uhuru Kenyatta, had identified 68 non-tariff barriers that hampered trade.
"The initiative began with Uhuru and we had agreed with the previous administration to bridge the gap and make it easier for the two countries to work together. We had identified 68 issues whereby 54 were solved. We have 14 issues still pending hence we want our Cabinet Ministers to meet and discuss ways in which we can freely trade," she stated.
Ruto, on the other hand, lauded Suluhu's government for the growth in trade relations in the past year. He affirmed that his administration will seek to double the figures in the coming months.
"Because of the goodwill you built between our two countries, trade has grown phenomenally. In one year, exports from Kenya to Tanzania grew from Ksh31 billion to Ksh45 billion. Trade of goods from Tanzania to Kenya grew from Ksh27 billion to Ksh50 billion. When you and former president Uhuru were working on the barriers to trade, many people thought it would only benefit Kenya but it has also benefitted Tanzania," he noted.
Unity
Suluhu affirmed that the two countries would foster unity and enforce policies that enhance cooperation.
Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC)
The two Heads of State agreed that the Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC), which was scheduled to occur in August, would be held before the end of the year. Suluhu urged for Cabinet Secretaries for Foreign Affairs in both countries to agree on the way forward.
Border Points
President Suluhu affirmed that the two countries had finalised on effectively establishing the border points between the two countries to determine the exact points where the border is located. She noted that this should not be perceived as a means of placing a boundary but more for historical purposes.
Natural Gas Transportation
The two presidents agreed that they would expedite the process of constructing a Ksh100 billion gas pipeline from Dar es Salaam to Mombasa.
"We had signed with Uhuru but Ruto has told me that it will be the first agenda between his administration and ours," Suluhu stated.
Ruto called upon the stakeholders to expedite the process of lowering the cost of living to enable the citizens to use the oil for both commercial and domestic purposes.
"We have agreed that those stakeholders involved will expedite the process so that we can use the resources in our region to lower the energy tariffs, both for industries and commercial purposes, domestic use for the benefit of our people," he pointed out.
Security
Both Heads of State agreed for the security agencies to work together to deal with transboundary crime and curb issues such as human trafficking and poaching.
Communication
President Ruto praised the establishment of the East African One Area Network- a network that will enable people to easily communicate in a more affordable manner, bridge barriers, enhance trade and build relations.
He added that the deal was in its final process with Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda included in the plans. Ruto hailed Tanzania for ratifying the network- pointing out that the only part remaining was its operalisation.
