President Uhuru Kenyatta.[Photo/PSCU]
President Uhuru Kenyatta last evening returned to the country after a three-day official visit that consolidated the bilateral ties between South Africa and Kenya.
On arrival, the Head of State was received by Deputy President William Ruto and other senior government officials.
The President kicked off the visit to South Africa by meeting President Jacob Zuma in Durban with whom they held bilateral talks centred on strengthening relations between the two countries for the benefit of their nations.
The two leaders discussed trade and connectivity, and how these would boost industrialisation and also create jobs for millions of young people among other things.
The two leaders also deliberated on regional peace and security, especially the South Sudan conflict and the modern day slave trade in Libya.
Zuma said he would host President Uhuru for a State visit later this year.
“We will then conclude key issues when President Kenyatta is back,” he said.
On his part, Uhuru, who travelled to South Africa last Thursday, said: “We have laid the groundwork for my State visit sometime in the first quarter of this year. We look forward to concluding and signing various agreements.”
From Durban, the President headed to the South African industrial town of East London where he met the African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also the Deputy President of South Africa.
Speaking during a dinner hosted on the eve of the ANC’s 106th birthday celebration, Ramaphosa said President Uhuru’s visit to South Africa demonstrated the special relations between the two nations.
Ramaphosa, congratulated Uhuru for winning last year’s election and pledged that his ANC party and Jubilee would work together to cement relations between the people of the two countries.
In East London, President Uhuru also met Volkswagen South Africa head Thomas Schaefer who assured him that his firm was looking to double production in Kenya and to introduce a new model at its Thika vehicle assembly plant.
He capped his South African visit, the first foreign trip since his inauguration for the second term in office, by attending ANC’s 106th birthday celebrations.