NAIROBI, Kenya (CU)_British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta over the phone on Tuesday (27 April), as the two leaders discussed several subjects of mutual interest.
The conversation took place ahead of the UK-Kenya Global Education Summit, which will be co-hosted by the two countries in July. Through the event, PM Johnson and President Kenyatta hope to raise KSh 539 billion (US$ 5 billion), in order to get 175 million children into school around the world.
“Besides the Summit, President Kenyatta and PM Johnson talked about Kenya-UK collaboration in the fight against Covid-19, climate change and, regional security and peace,” Kenyan State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena said in a statement.
Kenya was among the nations that were added to Britain’s “red list” of countries which have reported high rates of COVID-19, although the situation in the UK, in terms of the virus, was believed to be much worse compared to what the African nation had been experiencing. Therefore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nairobi announced a 14-day mandatory quarantine for those arriving from the UK, in retaliation.
Nevertheless, during the phone call on Tuesday, PM Johnson and President Kenyatta discussed new avenues of collaboration on COVID-19 between Britain and Kenya, including the acceleration of access to vaccines.
In terms of climate change, the pair deliberated about opportunities of partnerships on climate action, particularly in areas such as renewable energy, ahead of the COP26 in Glasgow.
Meanwhile, PM Johnson also expressed his concern over security challenges growing in the African continent, particularly on the political situation unfolding in Somalia. Accordingly, the two leaders resolved to work more closely through the Commonwealth, the United Nations Security Council and other multilateral platforms in order to ensure regional peace and stability.
