At the invitation of the President of India H.E. Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Hon. William Samoei Ruto, PhD, CGH, made a State Visit to India from 4 – 6 December, 2023. He was accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Cabinet Secretaries, senior Government officials and private sector representatives.
President Ruto was accorded the ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 5th December 2023. He also visited Rajghat to pay his respects to Mahatma Gandhi. President Droupadi Murmu will hold bilateral talks and host a banquet dinner in honour of President Ruto.
President William Ruto and H. E. Prime Minister Narendra Modi held official bilateral talks in a warm and cordial atmosphere. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation covering a wide range of areas of mutual interest. Both sides noted with satisfaction the existing level of close and friendly relations between the two countries. The leaders agreed that there is room for further deepening and strengthening of relations in strategic areas of common interest. Views were also exchanged on current regional and international issues of mutual interest.
President Ruto congratulated Prime Minister Modi for hosting a successful and historic G-20 Summit in Delhi. President Ruto thanked Prime Minister Modi for his leadership and support of the Indian Government for inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the G-20.
Prime Minister Modi appreciated Kenya’s participation in both the editions of the Voice of Global South Summit, in particular President Ruto’s address in the inaugural Leaders’ Session in the second edition. The two editions were hosted by India in January and November 2023.
Prime Minister Modi also commended Kenya for the leadership on the issues of climate change and the successful hosting of the inaugural Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi in September, 2023.
The leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral relations. In pursuit of this goal, both leaders affirmed their commitment to work very closely in order to open up new areas of cooperation in various sectors for mutual benefit.
Recognizing the salience of maritime cooperation in India-Kenya relations and especially in the Indian Ocean, India and Kenya unveiled a “Joint Vision Statement on Maritime Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region- BAHARI (Ocean in Swahili)” as a blueprint for scaling up maritime engagement between the two countries.
Trade and Investment
Acknowledging the vibrant and long-standing economic partnership between both countries, Prime Minister Modi and President Ruto recognized that there is potential for further upscaling of bilateral economic engagements. The two leaders resolved to enhance trade and investment ties and directed the bilateral Joint Trade Committee to convene at the earliest to discuss expansion of bilateral trade and investment, including impediments to market access, and elimination of non-tariff barriers.
The two Leaders welcomed the opening of the Indian market to Kenyan avocados as a positive step, and reaffirmed that greater access to products from both countries would diversify the bilateral trade basket. Both countries committed to discuss and facilitate trade between the two countries.
Considering that healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors represent important areas of bilateral trade, both leaders discussed the possibility of facilitating increased Indian investments into Kenya in these sectors, including for development of health infrastructure and medical equipment production. This would greatly augment access to affordable healthcare for Kenyans.
President Ruto also discussed medical travel to India by Kenyans. It was agreed that a framework be discussed among relevant agencies from both sides in order for Kenyan patients to benefit from hospital treatment and outpatient care, including patients under critical care, access to specialized doctors’ reviews and access to medicines in a practical and sustainable manner.
The Kenyan side provided assurance to consider India’s request to recognize Indian Pharmacopeia as a supportive step in forging closer healthcare cooperation.
President Ruto will attend the India-Kenya Trade and Investment Forum on 5th December 2023 wherein he will deliver a keynote address. During the two-day visit, President Ruto will also meet with select business leaders of Indian companies.
Defence and Security Cooperation:
The two leaders noted with appreciation the increasing momentum in defence cooperation and affirmed their intention to further bolster it pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation concluded in 2016. The leaders also directed the bilateral Joint Defence Coordination Committee to convene at an early date. India also welcomed regular Kenyan participation in events and exhibitions such as the India-Africa Defence Dialogue, Aero-India and DEFEXPO.
Both sides also concurred on strengthening security cooperation, information and intelligence sharing and joint efforts in areas of counterterrorism, cyber security, and anti-money laundering, small arms and light weapons, drugs and human trafficking.
he two leaders also noted with appreciation the recently concluded MoU between Goa Shipyard Ltd and Kenya Shipyard Ltd that will pave the way for mutually beneficial commercial ventures and also support Kenyan interest in developing shipbuilding, repair, and maintenance capacities.
People-to-People Contacts
Both sides noted that people-to-people contacts, which date back centuries, provide foundational strength to the historic India-Kenya ties. Both sides noted with appreciation the role of the Indian-origin Kenyan community in the society and economy of Kenya and in further reinforcing the friendship between the two countries.
Both sides appreciated the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for 2023-27 which will facilitate thriving cultural exchanges.
President Ruto expressed his gratitude to the President and Prime Minister of India for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and his delegation. He also extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Kenya at mutual convenience.
Prime Minister Modi thanked President Ruto and his delegation for visiting India and wished him good health and prosperity for the friendly people of the Republic of Kenya.