UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to visit Kenya, PS reveals

United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to visit Kenya in the coming weeks.

Kenya has started to make preparations for the visit whose details remain scanty.

In a statement on Tuesday May 13, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said he held a meeting with UK High Commissioner to Kenya, Neil Wigan to prepare for Starmer’s visit.

Omollo noted that they discussed key areas of security cooperation, centering on cybersecurity collaboration and police reforms.

“In preparation for the UK Prime Minister’s official visit to Kenya, I met with the UK High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E. Neil Wigan, to discuss key areas of security cooperation.

“Our engagement centred on enhancing cybersecurity collaboration and supporting ongoing police reforms, both critical pillars of the UK-Kenya Security Compact,” PS Omollo stated.

Wigan and Omollo also discussed the renewal of the joint security compact between Kenya and the UK.

Starmer became the UK Prime Minister in July 2024 succeeding Rishi Sunak, following a landslide victory by the Labour Party in the general election.

The UK Prime Minister’s scheduled visit comes nearly a year and a half after King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited Kenya, where they were received with a ceremonial welcome and honoured with a 21-gun salute at State House.

Starmer’s planned visit to Kenya also comes at a time when the UK government has announced the closure of its overseas recruitment route for social care workers, a move that is expected to impact many Kenyans seeking employment opportunities in the UK.

On Monday, the UK government said the decision is aimed at overhauling the adult social care sector.

“We will end overseas recruitment for social care visas. In line with our wider reforms to skills thresholds, we will close social care visas to new applications from abroad.

“For a transition period until 2028, we will permit visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country with working rights, but this will be kept under review,” the statement read.

Kenya has been hosting foreign leaders in a series of meetings aimed at boosting investments.

On Monday, Kenya and Finland signed two agreements on the first day of President Alexander Stubb’s State Visit to Kenya.

The two memoranda of understanding on political consultations, and peace mediation and conflict resolution are aimed at strengthening ties between Kenya and Finland.

Ruto said Kenya is committed to deepening bilateral cooperation with the Nordic country for the mutual benefit of citizens of the two nations.

He said Kenyan and Finnish officials are working on cooperation frameworks in education, tourism, and labour recruitment, initiatives that will enhance knowledge exchange, skills development, institutional partnerships, and stronger people-to-people connections.

President Stubb is accompanied by First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb and a business delegation in the first visit by a Finnish head of State.

The discussions between the two leaders centred on enhancing collaboration in education, health, renewable energy, trade and investment, peace and security, multilateral engagement, and climate action.

And Maroš Šefčovič, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, and Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui chaired in Nairobi the first meeting of the Council for the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).

Less than a year after entry into force, the EPA Council restated the importance of the bilateral trade relations between the EU and Kenya and discussed avenues to strengthen that relation in the future.

The EPA Council agreed that, in a time of geopolitical uncertainty and volatility in the international trading system, the EPA provides predictability and reliability to traders and investors as it represents a shared commitment to rule-based trade.

It also creates opportunities to enhance bilateral trade in goods, diversify exports through the creation of new value chains, boost investment flows, and strengthen economic relations between the two partners in a sustainable manner.

During the meeting, the Ministers focused on addressing bilateral trade issues, agreed to initiate negotiations on the Protocol on rules of origin in line with the Joint Statement of the Parties on Rules of Origin annexed to the EPA. They have also explored sectors of mutual interest for future cooperation.

To further harness the benefits of the EPA, representatives from the EU and Kenyan authorities will engage with business and civil society to capitalise on the opportunities offered by the Agreement.