President William Ruto has announced that Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire will deepen diplomatic ties following talks with Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara at State House, Nairobi.
In a statement after the meeting on Sunday, May 10, Ruto said the two governments had agreed to establish an embassy in Nairobi.
"Our decision to open an embassy and send the first-ever Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire reflects our shared commitment to deepening bilateral relations and expanding Kenya’s diplomatic presence in West Africa," he said.
Ruto also welcomed Ouattara’s commitment to strengthen Côte d’Ivoire’s representation in Kenya by sending an ambassador to Nairobi.
"I appreciated President Outarra's pledge to send an ambassador to Nairobi. Our focus is to unlock greater opportunities in trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges for the mutual benefit of our citizens," he added.
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The two leaders also discussed cooperation at the multilateral level, with Kenya seeking support for international judicial candidate, Supreme Court Judge Njoki Ndung’u.
"At the multilateral level, we agreed to advance our cooperation. I sought President Ouattara’s support for Supreme Court Judge Njoki Ndung’u in her candidature for the position of Judge of the International Criminal Court," he concluded.
Meanwhile, Kenya and France have signed 11 bilateral agreements worth more than Ksh129.2 billion during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Kenya.
In an interview on Sunday, May 10, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said the agreements cover critical development programmes, including transport infrastructure, and commuter rail modernisation.
"The moment President Macron landed, we went straight to State House and had bilateral engagements with France. We have signed 11 instruments, all critical, and in total, it comes to over $1 billion (Ksh129.2 billion) worth of programs and commitments," he said.
According to Mudavadi, a major focus of the agreements is the planned upgrade of Nairobi’s commuter rail network.
He said the investment will support expansion of Line 5 toward Embakasi and Ruiru, while complementing ongoing plans to modernise the Nairobi Railway City project.
"We are signing off so that we can modernize our commuter rail system, especially line 5, expanding it so that it can go to Embakasi and into Ruiru. We are also working with the UK so that we can modernize Nairobi Railway City. Once this program is complete, with the line going up to Thika, we should be able to evacuate up to 30,000 people per hour," he added.
Mudavadi also used the occasion to underline the long-standing diplomatic relationship between Kenya and France.
He described the current engagement as part of an African agenda aimed at strengthening the continent’s collective voice in international negotiations.
"The French have been with us since 1963. France was one of the first countries to recognize Kenya’s independence, and France has invested heavily in Kenya; there are a lot of businesses.
"We are not ditching Francophone for Anglophone. The plan is to make sure that out of this gathering, we can gain more coherence as Africa, have a stronger and purposeful narrative, and to say our negotiating skills have come of age," he further said.
Mudavadi added that the timing of the meeting also carries wider diplomatic significance as France prepares to assume leadership of the G6.
"France is taking over the G6 leadership next month, and President Ruto has been invited to attend the G7 session. This gathering gives him legitimacy on behalf of the continent to be able to canvas certain positions. Kenya has become a continental voice, and that is positive for our country," he noted.
