Kenya and UK: 60 years of partnership

Today, on Jamhuri Day, I will join President William Ruto at Uhuru Gardens to celebrate with Kenya 60 years since its flag was first raised, marking the birth of this great republic, and a new era in United Kingdom-Kenya relations. Over the six decades, we have developed a strong and dynamic partnership of equals.

The recent State Visit by King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the invitation of President Ruto shone a spotlight on our friendship. In Nairobi, Mombasa and Kilifi, the King and Queen met Kenyan environmentalists, school children, elders, farmers, soldiers, religious leaders and tech entrepreneurs–showing just some of the many ways in which the UK and Kenya.

The King also addressed the painful aspects of our past. He met families, communities and individuals who suffered under colonial rule. In his speech at the State Banquet, His Majesty noted that the wrongdoings of the colonial era were “a cause of the greatest sorrow and deepest regret”. Visiting the soon-to-open Uhuru Gardens Museum, The King demonstrated the importance of learning from the past to ensure a solid foundation for the future.

The visit also looked to the future, and celebrated the depth and breadth of our partnership. The UK is Kenyan’s third largest trading partner, and largest foreign investor. British companies employ more than 250,000 Kenyans. New UK investments in Kenya were announced at COP28 last week, including in sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and even electric buses. We support Kenya’s efforts to encourage green investments to create jobs and growth, without taking on unsustainable debt.

Investment collaboration

Our Economic Partnership Agreement provides duty-free-quota-free access for Kenyan exports to the UK. Annual trade between our countries is currently worth £1.2 billion. The UK-African Investment Summit taking place in London in May 2024 is a significant opportunity to further increase our trade and investment collaboration. We hope President Ruto will attend.

The UK is also working with Kenya to ensure sustainable development and support to the most vulnerable, including those at risk due to climate change. We have programmes covering social protection, humanitarian response, women and girls, health, infrastructure, job creation, devolution, and anti-corruption. The UK’s Hunger Safety Net Programme supports Kenya’s social protection and has provided unconditional cash transfers to 133,800 poor and drought-affected households. We are supporting Kenyan efforts to respond to El Nino; I will visit affected areas this week.

Kenya and the region’s long-term stability matter to the UK. The UK is working in partnership with Kenya to tackle shared threats and to address the drivers of fragility, conflict and radicalisation. The UK-Kenya Security Compact, signed in May 2023, covers our defence and security partnership which delivers a broad programme of cooperation covering serious organised crime, cyber, counter-terrorism, maritime security and illicit finance.

Defence partnership

I visited the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) and a modern new KDF training centre with Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale earlier this month. We saw how vital our defence partnership is. There is much potential to work even more closely together, building on our common approach to tackle shared security threats.

Kenya is a long-standing and close partner, an important member of the Commonwealth and a key voice in Africa and on the world stage – as we saw at the Nairobi Climate Summit.

As well as our long history, we both want a modern, and forward-looking partnership which delivers for our countries and people including through: boosting trade and economic ties; countering terrorism and instability; and tackling climate change.

As Kenya celebrates this milestone anniversary, the UK stands alongside you, as we go far together. Here’s to the next 60 years.

Mr Wigan is the British High Commissioner to Kenya. @FCDONeilWigan