Updated 1 hr(s) 42 min(s) ago
By Peter Opiyo and PMPS
Prime Minister Raila Odinga has called on East African countries to give Southern Sudan the necessary support during next years referendum.
Raila expressed concern over the wavering peace in the region as the referendum date nears. The region is headed for the January 9 crucial poll amid problems related to boundary demarcation, delayed voter registration and voter eligibility.
Raila spoke on his arrival to India to attend the World Economic Forum-India Summit 2010 in New Delhi. He had a brief meeting with ambassadors from East Africa, where he urged them to avail support for Southern Sudan.
Present at the meeting were Kenya’s High commissioner to India, Prof Festus Kaberia, Tanzania’s John Kijau, Nimisha Madhvani from Uganda, Burundi’s Rubuka Aloys, and Rwanda’s Williams Nkurunziza.
Southern Sudan will vote to decide to either become autonomous or not on January 9. The referendum was one of the key recommendations of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Raila also emphasized on the need to build East Africa as an emerging market and make it attractive for foreign investments.
Raila will be in India for four days and he is expected to hold discussions with top political and business leaders. The discussions would be based on investment and economic cooperation.
The PM, accompanied by Trade minister Amos Kimunya, will also meet his Indian counterpart Mr Manmohan Singh and Kenyans living and working in the Asian country.
India is an important economic partner of Kenya and falls within the category of the top ten major trading partners of Kenya. Kenya has ranked India as the sixth biggest source of imports, and eighteenth overall as a destination for exports. On the other hand, India ranks Kenya as one of its major trading partners in Africa.
India exports manufactured goods such as home appliances, industrial and farm machinery, pharmaceuticals, synthetic products, motor vehicles, dyed fabric, rice and aluminium hydroxide.
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