NEW DELHI: Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Aden Bare Duale, arrived in New Delhi on Monday on a three-day visit to India. During his stay in India, he will hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Tuesday.
The visiting dignitary is expected to visit Indian shipyards and defence industries in Goa and Bengaluru, according to the statement released by the Ministry of Defence.
This is the maiden visit of Cabinet Secretary Duale to India and the highest-level stand-alone political visit from Kenya since the new government assumed office in September 2022.
“The visit is indicative of the importance India attaches to its relations with African nations and the growing cooperation between India and Kenya, in particular. It is expected to open new avenues for further strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries,” the statement read.
India and Kenya are maritime neighbours with robust and multi-faceted partnerships, marked by regular high-level visits, increasing trade and investment and extensive people-to-people contacts.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kenya on July 10-11, 2016 gave a new impetus to the bilateral ties. PM Modi and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta held discussions on a wide range of bilateral issues.
Both leaders oversaw the signing of seven (MoUs)/Agreements in the fields of defence, trade and developmental assistance.
PM handed over 30 field ambulances for the use of the Kenya Defence Forces. PM Modi and President Kenyatta addressed an India-Kenya Business Forum. Five business-to-business MoUs were signed on the sidelines of the business event.
PM Modi also addressed a gathering of over 20,000 Indian community members in Nairobi in which he was joined by President Kenyatta.
India announced the gifting of a state-of-the-art, Indian cancer therapy machine — Bhabhatron II — to Kenyatta National Hospital, a grant of $1 million for the refurbishment of the Mahatma Gandhi graduate library of the University of Nairobi and the holding of the first-ever Festival of India in Kenya. (ANI)