Kenya and Egypt this week intensified bilateral engagements ahead of a state visit by President William Ruto to Cairo in April and as the two states mark 60 years of diplomatic relations.
This week, top Kenyan officials engaged Egyptian leadership and its representation in Nairobi, while the Kenya-Egypt Joint Commission for Cooperation was concluded in Nairobi.
On Thursday, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Egypt’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry concluded the JCC with the signing of four instruments of bilateral cooperation. They are MoUs on veterinary services, maritime affairs, renewable energy and sports and arts.
Mudavadi said more agreements under negotiations will be concluded in readiness of the state visit.
During the talks between Shoukry and Mudavadi, regional stability, the Gaza war, the Ethiopia-Somalia dispute, among other regional security issues featured.
Minister Shoukry also paid a visit to President Ruto to deliver a message from President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi.
This will be reciprocal of that of President Al Sisi in February 2017, who made the first of such a trip to Kenya by a sitting Egyptian Head of State in 33 years.
During the visit, President Al-Sisi and then President Uhuru Kenyatta, now retired, held closed-door bilateral talks on, among other issues, the (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam) GERD, security and economy.
Al Sisi extended an invitation to Uhuru to visit Egypt for continued consultations and coordination between the two parties.
However, such a visit (state or official) did not materialize, although President Kenyatta made a stopover in Egypt from France in October 2020, during which he paid a courtesy call on President Al-Sisi.
On the sidelines of Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi in September 2023, Ruto told Egypt Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly that he looked forward to visiting Cairo in response to President Al-Sisi’s invitation.
During the meeting, PM Madbouly stressed the importance of holding the meetings pertinent to the next session of the joint committee in Nairobi, which happened this week, as well as a joint forum for businessmen in the two countries.
Last year, the two presidents met twice: In June on the sidelines of the Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, in Paris, France, and in Nairobi In July on the sidelines of the fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union.
DEFENCE COOPERATION
Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale was on a three-day visit to Cairo starting Monday, March 4.
He was accompanied by, among other senior military officers, Deputy Director Defence National Security Industries Brig. Sylvester Chirchir, Col. James Njeru from the Defence Headquarters, Kenya Defence Attachee to Egypt Col. Emmanuel Ptiony and Lt Col. John Njoroge, Commanding Officer Construction Battalion.
At the start of the visit, Duale said the trip was aimed at reinforcing the strategic partnership between Kenya and Egypt and was expected to open discussions on a range of shared security concerns. These, he said, include the implementation of cooperation agreements on maritime and aerial security and opportunities for professional military academic institutions.
Duale received high-level reception, held various meetings with senior military officials and received audience from Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
In the meeting with Egypt Defence Minister Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Zaki at the Defense Headquarters, the discussions focused on the Defence Cooperation Agreement between the two countries.
Duale also met with the Chief of the Engineering Industry Complex Maj Gen. Mohammed Abdi Abubakar and discussed ways of enhancing cooperation in defense and technology.
The culmination of Duale’s visit was a meeting with President Al-Sisi, in which he delivered a special message from his Kenyan counterpart, President Ruto. Defense Minister Gen Zaki was in attendance.
“The discussions focused on expanding and cementing our bilateral ties and cooperation in different sectors of the economy, including defence and security particularly in Kenya and the Horn of Africa,” Duale said on X, formerly Twitter.
Egypt’s Presidency said the discussions also touched on regional and international developments, notably the situations in the Gaza Strip, the Red Sea, and the Horn of Africa, as well as their implications for peace and security in the African continent.
Kenya and Egypt defence cooperation, particularly in training, is deep-rooted having started in 1964 as soon as Kenya gained independence.
JCC IN NAIROBI
In Nairobi, Kenya hosted the Seventh Session of the Kenya-Egypt Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) between March 5-7, 2024.
The JCC framework essentially launches and guides the general programmes for cooperation and coordination between two countries in areas of diplomatic engagements.
These may include but not limited to political, economic and trade, defence and security, education, sports and cultural, tourism and maritime cooperation.
Convening at different intervals and in either of the capitals, JCC meetings are led or chaired by the respective Foreign Affairs ministers or representatives designated by them,-and draws membership from the relevant senior officials representing concerned ministries, departments and government agencies.
The biennial event in Nairobi started with the senior officials segment of technical experts’ meetings and ended with the ministerial consultations and signing of the four instruments of cooperation.
The opening of the Senior Officials Meeting was officiated by Director General Foreign Service Administration Amb. Yabesh Monari, on behalf of Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr Korir Sing’Oei. Ambassador Monari hailed the historical ties between the two countries, which go back to Kenya’s pre-Independence period.
The discussions focused on infrastructure, agriculture, health, trade and renewable energy, Foreign Affairs Ministry said.
“The ongoing JMC attests to mutual understanding of the two countries to strengthen relations across various areas at the bilateral, continental and multilateral levels,” it added.
TRADE
On Monday, March 4, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano hosted Egypt Ambassador to Kenya Wael Nasr Attiya and discussed the Seventh Session of the Kenya-Egypt JCC and the Kenya-Egypt Business Forum that happened on the sidelines of the JCC.
CS Miano said the collaboration between the two states is of significant importance to her ministry, with a focus on aligning with Egypt.
Kenya and Egypt are COMESA members.
“This alignment is particularly notable in sectors of interest shared by both countries, encompassing health, ICT, MSMEs, transport infrastructure, housing, and agriculture—key economic priorities under our Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda,” she noted.
Mudavadi said trade between the two countries was on the right footing, increasing from $647 million in 2021 to $680.6 million in 2023.
