President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday met and held talks with former President Daniel Arap Moi.
During the meeting at the former President’s Kabarnet Gardens residence in Nairobi on Thursday, the President-elect and the former President discussed the swearing-in ceremony and other issues of national importance.
The former President once again congratulated the President-elect and wished him and his Government success in the running of the country’s affairs.
Present were KANU Chairman and Baringo Senator Gideon Moi and KANU Secretary General Nick Salat among others.
Meanwhile, President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto met envoys from Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, Israel and Brazil.
The diplomats were Ambassador Mohamed Ali Nur of Somalia, Ambassador Gil Haskel of Israel and the Charge D’ Affaires at the Brazil Embassy in Kenya Mr. Antonio Ricaarte.
Others were Uganda’s High Commissioner and Permanent Representative to the UN-HABITAT and UNEP Ms. Angelina Wapakhalo and Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Kenya Dr. Batilda Salha Buriani.
During the meeting, the envoys delivered congratulatory messages to President-elect Kenyatta from their respective heads of state.
Delivering a message of congratulations and best wishes, Israeli Ambassador Haskel noted that the ties between Kenya and Israel date back to the early years of Kenya’s independence, saying Kenya is the focal point for Israel in Africa.
He stressed his Government’s commitment to further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries especial in areas of food security, energy, tourism as well as internal and border security.
In the message delivered by the Brazil’s Charge D’ Affaires, the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, said the success of Kenya’s electoral process, guided by a strong spirit of national cohesion and an impressive turnout, was a victory for the Kenyan democracy.
“I rejoice in the fact that our countries share the same ideal of coupling economic development with democracy and social inclusion. Kenya has been an important partner to Brazil at both the commercial and the technical cooperation levels,” the Brazil President said in the message.
On his part, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda said, in a message delivered by High Commissioner Wapakhabulo that he looked forward to consolidating the brotherly relations between Kenya and Uganda within the wider East African and the Great Lakes region.
President Museveni also congratulated the people of Kenya on holding a peaceful election, saying their conduct has redeemed the honour of Kenya and Africa.
In his congratulatory message, the Somali President said President-elect Kenyatta’s ascension to office comes at a time when the Republic of Kenya has made significant strides in many spheres and has become one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.
Cooperation
“The outcome of the elections is indicative of the will and choice of the Kenyan general public entrusting you with their future. We are confident that under your wise leadership Kenya will continue its steady march towards the attainment of more development, progress and prosperity”, the Somali President said in his message.
Delivering Tanzania’s congratulatory message, High Commissioner Buriani underscored the Tanzania Government’s commitment to forging closer ties in all spheres of social, economic and political development.
On his part, President-elect Kenyatta appreciated the cooperation between Kenya and the respective envoys’ countries.
He said Kenya can learn a lot from Israel on technology especially with regards food security.
The President-elect, therefore, said he looked forward to cooperating with Israel for Kenya to get the right technology required for food production as well as utilization of water and other resources.
He applauded Israel for its contribution to the horticultural sector in Kenya and underlined the need for Israeli investors to venture in other sectors of the economy.
On Kenya-Uganda relations, The President-elect assured the Ugandan envoy that his Government will deepen ties with the brotherly country of Uganda for the mutual interest of the people of the two countries.
On trade and movement of goods, the President-elect reassured the envoy that his Government will address the issue of non-tariff barriers as matter of priority.
The President-elect also said Kenya looked forward to cooperating with Brazil especial in the area of industrialization and aviation. He encouraged Brazil manufacturers to set up bases in Kenya to assemble machinery locally.
President-elect Kenyatta also applauded the cordial relations that Kenya and Tanzania have continued to enjoy since independence and reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing the cooperation for the benefit of the people of two countries.
Present during the meeting were outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister Prof. Sam Ongeri and his Internal Security counterpart Moses Ole Sakuda among others.
By PPS
