The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to make an official visit to Kenya amid rising tension over the UK’s sweeping immigration reforms, which have effectively shut the door on foreign care workers, including thousands from Kenya.
Dr. Raymond Omollo, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Internal Security and National Administration, confirmed the upcoming visit on Monday, May 13, after holding preparatory talks with UK High Commissioner Neil Wigan in Nairobi.
In a statement, PS Omollo said his engagement with High Commissioner Wigan focused on ways of enhancing cybersecurity collaboration and supporting ongoing police reforms, which the government describes as critical pillars of the UK-Kenya Security Compact.
“In preparation for the UK Prime Minister’s official visit to Kenya, I met with the UK High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E. Neil Wigan, to discuss key areas of security cooperation,” Omollo said.
“Our engagement centred on enhancing cybersecurity collaboration and supporting ongoing police reforms, both critical pillars of the UK-Kenya Security Compact,” he added.
UK Ends Special Visa Deal with Kenya
The visit comes less than 24 hours after Starmer announces new, hardline immigration measures, which he said would “take back control” of Britain’s borders.
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Among the measures is the permanent closure of the care worker visa program, a move he justified as necessary to protect domestic workers and curb exploitation.
“Care workers from overseas have made a huge contribution,” Starmer said in a televised address on May 12.
“But too many have been subject to abuse and exploitation. We are moving away from our dependence on overseas workers to restore control and fairness to the system,” he added.
Bilateral Labor Agreement
The new policy directly impacts countries like Kenya, which signed a bilateral labor agreement with the UK in November 2021.
That deal had opened pathways for trained Kenyan health workers to take up employment in the UK’s overstretched care sector, with hundreds already placed and thousands more in the pipeline.
Also Read: UK Ends Special Visa Deal With Kenya
The sudden reversal is not only a blow to bilateral cooperation but may also strain relations during Starmer’s first official trip to East Africa as prime minister.
Despite the looming immigration dispute, Omollo emphasized that the two nations remain aligned on key strategic priorities particularly security and governance.
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