NAROBI,Kenya,Jan 29—President William Ruto is in the Egyptian Capital, Cairo for a two-day state visit.
The President departed Nairobi early Wednesday, a day after he attended Mission 300 for Africa Energy Summit in Tanzania’s Dar es Salaam City.
President Ruto was received by his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi,at the headquarters of the Presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Heliopolis.
Ruto’s visit comes nearly six months after he postponed a scheduled trip to Egypt in June 2024.
The delay followed widespread youth-led protests against the Finance Bill 2024, which later escalated into natiinwide demonstrations against his administration.
President Ruto’s visit to Cairo is being closely watched as the security situation in the region continues to deteriorate with escalating conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) and Sudan among other countries.
On January 16, President Ruto met with the Egyptian envoy to Kenya Wael Nasreldin Attiya at State House Nairobi in discussions aimed at bolstering cooperation between the two nations.
Ruto in a statement noted that the two nations are keen on expanding diplomatic, trade, and cooperative ties, which have evolved over the past six decades.
The head of state Ruto noted the deep-rooted historical connections that began in the 1950s when Egypt played a significant role in supporting Kenya’s struggle for independence.
“Relations between Kenya and Egypt go back to the 1950s when the North African country supported our fight for independence and freedom,” he said.
“These relations have blossomed over the past 60 years, now encompassing strong diplomatic and trade links.”
The meeting also focused on the notable growth in trade between the two countries.
According to the president, this progress has been further facilitated by Kenya’s membership in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA), which have enhanced regional economic integration and expanded opportunities for bilateral business.
The two leaders expressed optimism about the future of Kenya-Egypt relations and emphasized Egypt’s commitment to continuing efforts to foster closer economic and diplomatic ties with Kenya.
Egypt has been a close trade partner to Kenya.
The North African country is the second largest importer of Kenyan tea with the trade volumes between Kenya and Egypt estimated to be between US$600 million (Sh77,700,000,000) to US$700 million (Sh 90,650,000,000) annually.
Latest data from the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade asserts that Egypt’s exports to Kenya reached US$323.78 Million (Sh41,929,510,000) in 2023 alone.
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