Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Foreign Minister, Hon. Moses Wetang'ula (right) with Mr. Mohammed Sultan Bin Houwaden ( second left) ,Vice- Chair of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry before the opening of trade symposium

Kenya offers the best launching pad for investors seeking to tap into the 120 million people East African economy.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Hon. Moses Wetang’ula said this when he presided over the opening of a trade symposium attended by representatives from a cross section of the local business fraternity and a trade delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Norfolk hotel yesterday.

The 13 - member delegation from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the third largest commerce chamber in the UAE, is in the country to explore avenues of joint investment and commercial opportunities available in Kenya.

Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Mr Thuita Mwangi during the signing ceremony.

Kenya and Nigeria enjoy improved trade and investment relationship due to the prevailing bilateral ties between the two countries.

Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary, Mr. Thuita Mwangi said this during the signing ceremony of the proposed construction of chancery and Ambassador’s Residence and staff quarters in Abuja, Nigeria. The contract, which was tendered in January 2009, was awarded to Diamatrix Limited of Nigeria.

The Permanent Secretary thanked the Nigerian government for their good gesture of donating land to Kenya for the construction of the chancery. The ceremony took place at the ministry’s headquarters.

On his part, Mr. Amara Nwokeji, the Chief Executive Officer of Diamatrix Limited, thanked the Ministry for giving them the opportunity and promised to complete the construction in the stipulated 18 months period.

Also present during the ceremony was Kenya’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Amb. Francis Sigei and other senior government officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry Public Works.

KENYA TO HOST THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE

Foreign Minister, Hon. Moses Wetang'ula(third left) with Dr. William Shija (second left), the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

The 56^th Session of the Conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) will be held from 10^th to 19^th September in Nairobi. A delegation from the CPA Secretariat was in the country last week to assess the preparations for the event.

The delegation led by Dr. William Shija, the Secretary General of the CPA, paid a courtesy call on Foreign Affairs minister, Hon. Moses Wetang’ula and briefed him on the recent activities of the association.

Dr.Shija said that the CPA was determined to improve its service delivery to the members states. He however, admitted that there was need to seek consensus of the wider membership on divisive issues to achieve the goals of the association.

Foreign Minister,Hon. Moses Wetang'ula addressing GRULAC Ambassadors in Nairobi

Kenya is determined to turn a new page in its relations with the Latin America and the Caribbean region. This was the message Foreign Affairs minister, Hon. Moses Wetangula to envoys from the Group of Latin America and Caribbean region (GRULAC), when he hosted them to a luncheon at Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi yesterday. Present at the function were the ambassadors of Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. Senior officials from the Ministry accompanied the Minister to the event.

Hon.Wetangula said that Kenya will open more embassies in the region to facilitate closer ties. At present, the only Kenyan mission in the region is in Brasilia.

The minister said that Kenya and the GRULAC shared similar experiences as developing countries. He said Kenya had a lot to learn from countries in the region which had gone through similar political and economic problems that Kenya is facing.