Kenya and the UK have signed an agreement to ensure the fight against corruption and proceeds of crime hidden in Britain are returned in a continued bid by President Uhuru Kenyatta to fight the vice.
The agreement was signed during a bilateral meeting between President Kenyatta and UK Prime Minister Theresa May at StateHouse Nairobi.
In his speech, during the joint presser, President Kenyatta applauded the Kenyan-Britain agreement to return proceeds of crime, saying it will help deter the corrupt.
“We need to make it painfully unrewarding, and expensive to get into corruption.” said the Prime Minister May.
The two countries also signed pacts to ensure that the duty free quota for Kenyan goods continue even after Britain leaves the European Union.
The Prime Minister also announced that Britain will continue to support the African Mission in Somalia (Amisom), the peace keeping team that comprises of Kenyan soldiers maintaining peace in the war-torn country.
Mrs May further said, “UK is the largest foreign investor in Kenya and it is our ambition to be the G7’s number one investor in Africa by 2022. As Britain prepares to leave the EU we are committed to smooth transition and continuity in our trading relationship.”
“The balance of trade between Kenya and the UK is in our favour, and we want to see ways to enhance that going forward,” Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma told the Nation early this month when she announced PM May’s planned visit.
Britain is also one of the largest source market for Kenya’s tourism, with over 168,000 British nationals visiting Kenya over the last one year.
With at least 100 British companies in Kenya, the UK has remained the country’s top overseas investor with over Sh128 billion of trade.
The two leaders also acknowledged the fact that London helped Nairobi in tackling the refugee crisis, where Kenya has for a couple of years been the home to thousands of refugees from the neighbouring countries, mainly Somalia, and South Sudan.
In the joint presser, the two leaders have promised to to deepen the relationship between Kenya and UK despite Brexit, where the Prime Minister has promised to towards attaining president Kenyatta’s Big Four agenda to transform Kenya and her vision.”
In addition the President said, “Kenya is open for business for all. And we are not going out there with a begging bowl. No! We are saying that Kenya is an attractive investment destination for foreign companies to come, and get a very good dividend while creating jobs, and helping us further our development agenda.”