President Uhuru Kenyatta was on Thursday evening handed over the key of Maputo City, the highest honour a city’s administration can accord a visitor.
The symbolic gesture of handing over an ornamental key was performed by the capital city's mayor, Mr David Simango, at a ceremony held at the Noble Hall of the Maputo Municipal Council.
The President, who was accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, said he was delighted by the honour bestowed on him and through him to the people of the Republic of Kenya.
“Maputo and my own capital city have much in common. Very much cosmopolitan, very much welcoming of investment, and very committed to uplifting lives of their citizens,” President Kenyatta said.
Noting that recently African leaders signed the agreement creating the Continental Free Trade Area, President Kenyatta urged Maputo and Nairobi to take advantage of the agreement and explore how best to make the arrangement work for their mutual benefit on a win-win basis.
The President pointed out that collaboration and cooperation mean something only if people can move freely on our continent, adding that this was something Kenya was giving a big push.
“Our relations, Maputo and Nairobi, can be strengthened by increased people-to-people contact in the strong understanding that it is people to people engagement that creates wealth, creates jobs and creates prosperity for our cities and our nations,” the President said.
He pledged to work to ensure that in the shortest possible time true collaboration is created to have greater exchange both at the technical level between officers of the respective cities and politicians of both assemblies in Maputo and Nairobi.Source: PSCU