Kenya seeks to bolster bilateral ties with Africa, Middle East

Kenyan President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto on Tuesday held talks with Africa and Middle East envoys to bolster bilateral ties between the two regions.During the meeting, envoys from Ghana, Algeria, Nigeria, Malawi, Kuwit and United Arab Emirates reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing the bilateral relations between Kenya and their countries.The envoys, on behalf of their respective governments, congratulated President-elect Kenyatta and his deputy Ruto on their election as President and Deputy-President of the Republic of Kenya.The United Arab Emirates Ambassador Abdulrazak Mohd Hadi emphasized to link up business communities of the two countries.He said Emirates businessmen are ready to invest in Kenya particularly in the health and infrastructural sectors.The Emirates ambassador further said that he looked forward to the finalization and signing of pending agreements between Kenya and his country.On his part, the President-elect said Emirates has a huge number of Kenyans working as expatriates.He also mentioned President Kibaki visited the Emirates seeking to further strengthen the relations, Kenyatta and expressed optimism that he will take the relations to a higher level for the common good of the two countries.According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the UAE is now the largest exporter of goods to Kenya.The value of UAE exports to Kenya is currently estimated to 2. 04 billion U.S. dollars, 23.3 percent of Kenya's total imports last year.The Nigerian High Commissioner said the Nigerian Government is looking forward to pushing the strategic partnership between the two countries to a higher level, saying the Joint Permanent Commission Framework Agreement has been concluded and is ready for signing.The Nigerian envoy said that cooperation between the two countries would create a useful link for the benefit of the East and West African regions, since Kenya is a leader in the East African region while Nigeria the economic hub in the West African region.Kenyatta said he looked forward to the signing of the Joint Permanent Commission Framework Agreement between Nigeria and Kenya the soonest possible.Kenyatta also said that they regard Africa as their first priority in terms of trade and investment.