Kenya and India have signalled a significant upgrade of
their bilateral ties following the third round of Kenya-India Foreign Office
Consultations in Nairobi.
Following the high-level meeting on February 3, the two
sides outlined plans that deepen and extend cooperation beyond traditional
areas of engagement.
While such consultations are routine diplomatic engagements,
the outcomes and emphasis from Nairobi and New Delhi point to a more structured
and multi-sector partnership.
In a statement, India’s External Affairs ministry said both
sides comprehensively reviewed bilateral ties across diverse sectors.
These include political, trade and investments, defence and
security cooperation, digital public infrastructure, development cooperation,
agriculture, health, culture and people-to-people ties.
“It was agreed to organise meetings of the Joint Commission,
Joint Trade Committee and Joint Working Group on Agriculture at an early date,”
the ministry added.
These are the formal mechanisms used to implement and
monitor cooperation agreements rather than simply discuss policy.
The consultations were co-chaired by Ambassador Jane Makori,
deputy director general in the Asia and Pacific Directorate, and Shri Kain,
India’s Joint Secretary for East and Southern Africa at the Ministry of
External Affairs.
In its statement, Kenya highlighted the “shared commitment
to strengthen and deepen long-standing, warm and cordial bilateral relations”.
The State Department of Foreign Affairs said the talks
reviewed ongoing programmes, assessed progress from previous high-level visits
and deliberated on the way forward.
Diplomatic observers say the decision to activate these
platforms signals a shift from general diplomatic engagement to
execution-focused commercial collaboration.
“This shows they are moving from statements of intent to
structured implementation,” Prof Macharia Munene said.
“The Joint Commission and trade mechanisms are where real
deliverables are negotiated.”
Shri Kain paid a courtesy call on Trade PS Regina Ombam.
They discussed strengthening trade and investment ties and ways to further
expand bilateral economic engagement.
“Shri Kain highlighted Kenya as a key strategic partner for
India in Africa and the Global South,” the Trade State Department said.
“He added that Kenya and India share development goals and
expressed optimism that deeper economic cooperation would drive mutual growth
and improve livelihoods in both countries.”
Both sides expressed commitment to strengthening cooperation
in trade, investment and other priority areas.
In recent years, the two states have sought to diversify
their economic partnerships.
For instance, India has been pushing to increase its exports
to Kenya, with an eye on the textile sector.
A delegation of 18 leading silk and textile officials from
the Indian Silk Export Promotion Council (ISEPC) visited Nairobi from October
6-7 to showcase the richness, versatility and craftsmanship of Indian silk.
Indian High Commissioner Adarsh Swaika inaugurated the Mega
Silk Exhibition-cum-Buyer Seller Meet organised by ISEPC in Nairobi.
The India High Commission said the meeting aimed to promote
direct engagement between Indian silk exporters and Kenyan importers and
retailers.
The mission added that the engagement is also expected to
strengthen trade and business linkages in the textile and apparel sectors.
Another of the most notable areas mentioned by India is
cooperation in digital public infrastructure.
India has exported its digital governance model, including
digital identity systems and payment platforms, to several developing countries
as part of its Global South diplomacy.
Kenya’s interest in this area aligns with its own push
toward digital governance and technology-driven public services.
