PRESIDENT Uhuru Kenyatta has said that the government will continue to partner with the United Kingdon in development agendas.
He told the British High Commissioner to Kenya, Christian Turner, who paid him a courtesy call at State House on Tuesday evening that “he looks forward to deepening the relations for the mutual benefit of the two countries”.
Turner presented congratulation message from British Prime Minister David Cameron to President Uhuru after waiting for a couple of weeks to get the appointment.
Uhuru said the Jubilee government is open and willing to work with other countries on the basis of mutual respect and within the principle of reciprocity.
President Uhuru cited tourism, infrastructure development and security as some of the key areas of cooperation between the two countries.
He said he looks forward to continued support from the UK in many areas of national endeavor and especially in mobilising resources internationally to finance development programs.
The President hailed the continued cooperation between Kenya and UK on security matters saying he looks forward to working closely with UK and other countries in the Somali peace process within the Igad framework.
On his part, Turner said Kenya and Britain enjoy a special relationship, the depth of which is reflected by statistics on trade between the two countries, the number of tourists and level of development assistance. The High Commissioner said the UK will continue to support Kenya’s development endeavors towards achieving double digit economic growth as pledged to Kenyans by the Jubilee coalition.
The envoy emphasised that his government was committed to doubling UK investment in Kenya within the next four years and added that they will support infrastructural development and the transformation of Nairobi into the East African capital of financial services.
On security in the country and the region, Turner reiterated his government’s commitment to continued cooperation on stabilising Somalia in order to ensure peace and security in the region.
The High Commissioner assured the President that the UK will continue to work with IGAD and other stakeholders in the Somali peace process and looked forward to a positive outcome in the forthcoming Somali conference in London.
Source:the-star.co.ke
