President William Ruto as part of his efforts to improve ties between Kenya and Tanzania has promised to build on the foundation laid by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta.
President William Ruto held bilateral talks with President Samia at the Tanzanian State House on Monday, October 10.
While addressing Tanzania media, the head of state noted that the talk was centered on enhancing ties between Kenya and Tanzania, including ways in which the two nations can gain from removing trade restrictions
According to President William Ruto, the first assignment once his cabinet is sworn in will be to figure out how the remaining 14 trade restrictions between Kenya and Tanzania can be lifted.
“I’m here to confirm that the good foundation laid when you took over and worked with my predecessor, I will build on that foundation to take our countries to the next level,” President Ruto said.
Moreover, the head of state claimed that lowering trade barriers between the two nations had given trade a much-needed boost.
He additionally, refuted the argument that Kenya would gain more from the removal of trade barriers between the two nations.
“When you and Uhuru worked on barriers to trade, most people thought it would benefit Kenya, but it has benefited Tanzania more,” Dr. Ruto added.
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The head of state further claimed that since some of the restrictions had been lifted, exports from Tanzania had increased from Ksh.27 billion to Ksh.50 billion while exports from Kenya had increased from Ksh.31 billion to Ksh.45 billion.
Aside from trade, the two leaders also talked about ways to promote tourism between Tanzania and Kenya.
Dr. Ruto noted that as part of the East Africa One Area Network, their discussion with president Samia focused on enhancing communication between Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda.
They also talked about enhancing cooperation between the security agencies of the two countries to battle transboundary crime.
Since his inauguration, President Ruto has visited several nations, including Ethiopia for bilateral talks, the United States for the United Nations General Assembly, and, most recently, Uganda for the nation’s 60th anniversary of independence celebrations.
