The President of the Republic of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta has received His Excellency Emmerson Mnangagwa at Kenya’s state house.
He was welcomed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by the country’s Foreign Minister Madame Rachael Imamo and her Zimbabwean counterpart Ambassador Fredrick Shava.
The third session of the Zimbabwe-Kenya Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation opened in Nairobi yesterday with discussions on the Memoranda of Agreements signed at the last JPCC.
Zimbabwe and Kenya share cordial relations, with several memoranda of agreements signed between the two countries in different sectors led by tourism.
The session is taking place 25 years after the convening of the second session in Harare in January 1997 – in what also reflects the Second Republic’s new approach that seeks not only to broaden the country’s diplomatic horizons but also boost economic co-operation.
In his opening statement at the third session of the Zimbabwe– Kenya JPCC, Ambassador James Manzou, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and co-chair of the senior officials meeting said the two countries must put into action their words.
“We should, in the next two days, put our shoulders to the wheel and ensure that we conclude negotiations on a number of MoUs to be signed during the State visit to Kenya by His Excellency, President Emmerson D Mnangagwa,” said Ambassador Manzou.
Ambassador Manzou said under the economic cluster, there are draft agreements and MoUs at different stages of negotiations.
“The Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA), the avoidance of double taxation agreement, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in tourism and wildlife conservation. It is imperative for our two countries to quickly negotiate and conclude these legal instruments as they are pivotal to closer economic co-operation between our two countries.
“In the social and cultural cluster, the Memorandum of Understanding on the promotion of co-operative development and the MoU on the promotion of women empowerment and community development stand out among those that need to be fast-tracked because of our important contribution to the welfare of communities in both countries.
“Of course, this is not to forget the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on co-operation in the field of sport and recreation.
“In the field of soccer, I note that both Kenya and Zimbabwe recently suffered a similar fate after FIFA imposed bans on our national soccer organizations. We urgently need to exchange views and strategise on how to resolve the issues involved,” said Ambassador Manzou.
