WIREDGOV

Prime Minister Johnson and President Kenyatta met at Downing Street on 21 January where they agreed a new strategic partnership and issued a joint statement.

Prime Minister Johnson and President Kenyatta said in a joint statement (21 January 2020):

As Commonwealth nations and champions of the rules-based international system, Kenya and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland enjoy a deep, diverse and historic relationship. It is anchored by a shared set of values and a mutual understanding of the benefits that can accrue from our strong bilateral collaboration.

On 21 January, we – His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta and Prime Minister Boris Johnson – agreed to elevate this relationship to an even more ambitious Strategic Partnership between our two countries. This will allow us to focus our collective expertise, resources and leadership on the priorities – bilateral, regional and global – that will help deliver more prosperous, secure and sustainable societies.

From 2020 to 2025, we will work together across five pillars – mutual prosperity, security and stability, sustainable development, climate change, and people to people – reflecting the key challenges and opportunities of our time.

The UK and Kenya already benefit from close economic ties and under the first pillar – mutual prosperity – we will increase their breadth and strength, boosting growth and improving living standards. Capitalising on initiatives launched by the UK in January 2020 – backed by £400 million of UK aid and with the potential to generate billions of pounds of investment into Africa from the City of London – our countries will develop new investment and trade opportunities that will support businesses, including those in the Blue Economy, and create jobs. A focus on quality investments and improving environmental, social and corporate standards will ensure sustainable growth. This, combined with the delivery of ongoing business reforms, will put us in a strong position to build on over £1.35 billion of private British investment into Kenya confirmed at the UK-Africa Investment Summit on 20 January 2020.

Building on the success achieved under the High-Level UK-Kenya Security Compact, pillar two of the Strategic Partnership will add fresh impetus to our joint efforts to tackle global terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime and corruption. The UK and Kenya will also help reduce local, regional and international drivers of conflict; improve the cyber resilience of our societies, economies and democratic institutions; and further enhance our longstanding defence cooperation.

Pillar three – focussing on sustainable development – sets the shared goal of reducing extreme poverty and creating a more prosperous, safer and healthier Kenya, by building stability, tackling inequality and strengthening government systems and institutions. Climate change is a defining challenge facing policymakers today. Pillar four consequently commits the UK and Kenya to demonstrate global leadership on climate and environmental issues, by deploying expertise on climate finance, resilience and adaptation, renewable energy, biodiversity, and science and technology; creating green jobs; and facilitating peer learning.

The UK and Kenya’s people-to-people links are rich and plentiful. Under pillar five, we will not only harness, but expand these – across all sectors – to the betterment of our two countries and partners around the world. At both an individual and institutional level, the UK and Kenya will build productive alliances in skills and education; science and research; innovation and entrepreneurship; defence and security; and arts, culture and sports.

Resting on these mutually reinforcing pillars, the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership will provide a comprehensive framework for achieving – together – a set of shared and often interlinked objectives, with global resonance.

Further information

• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Media enquiries

For journalists

Email newsdesk@fco.gov.uk

Newsdesk 020 7008 3100