President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in Kampala, Uganda on Thursday an official visit that will see him join other regional leaders at a presidential retreat on financing infrastructure and health as well as an East African Community (EAC) Summit.
The plane carrying the President and his delegation touched down at the Entebbe airport shortly after 9:00 am.On arrival, the president was received by the Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa and Kenyan High Commission staff in Uganda led by the outgoing Kenyan High Commissioner Maj. Gen (Rtd) Geoffrey Okanga.
The presidential retreat – whose theme is “Deepening and widening regional integration through Infrastructure and Health Sector Development in the EAC Partner States’’ – kicks off on Thursday and is aimed at accelerating attainment of EAC development targets, African Union agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the infrastructure and health sectors.
Affordable health for all is one of president Kenyatta’s Big Four commitments in his second term, alongside affordable housing, enhanced manufacturing and value addition as well as food security and nutrition.
The joint retreat is expected to give impetus to infrastructure and health development by way of harnessing political support for regional flagship projects, funding commitments and Public-Private Partnerships arrangements.
The EAC leaders have identified infrastructure development and health as key sectors requiring massive investment to spur economic growth and prosperity in the region.Kenya’s Cabinet Secretaries, Peter Munya (EAC), Sicily Kariuki (Health) and their counterpart James Macharia (Infrastructure) have been in Kampala since Tuesday joining their colleagues from EAC member states at round table talks, engaging investors and donors on concrete plans to achieve this agenda.
On Friday, president Kenyatta will attend the EAC Heads of State Summit where he will showcase the progress Kenya has made in investments in infrastructure over the last five years, unveil plans for further investment in this area and emphasise his commitment to a more integrated approach in infrastructure development for the region.
The president is also expected to speak on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) arrangements between the EAC and the European Union.
PSCU said Uhuru will outline Kenya’s path in the arrangements and what he sees as the future in cementing sustainable trade relations between the region and EU.EAC member states include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan.