President-elect Uhuru meets Moi

By LORDRICK MAYABI | April 4, 2013

Moi who is seen as Kenyatta’s mentor congratulated him and wished his government success as he prepares to take over leadership on Tuesday next week/CFM

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 4 – President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday held talks with former President Daniel arap Moi.

Moi who is seen as Kenyatta’s mentor congratulated him and wished his government success as he prepares to take over leadership on Tuesday next week.

During the meeting, Kenyatta and the former president discussed the swearing-in ceremony and other issues of national importance.

According to the Presidential Press Service, the meeting was held at Moi’s Kabarnet Gardens home in Nairobi and was attended by the former president’s son Gideon (Baringo Senator) and KANU Secretary General Nick Salat among others.

Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto later met envoys from Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, Israel and Brazil who assured of their commitment to continue strengthening relations with Kenya.

The diplomats were Mohamed Ali Nur of Somalia, Gil Haskel of Israel, Antonio Ricaarte of Brazil, Uganda’s High Commissioner Angelina Wapakhalo and Batilda Buriani of Tanzania.

During the meeting, the envoys delivered congratulatory messages to President-elect Kenyatta from their respective heads of state.

Haskel noted that the ties between Kenya and Israel date back to the early years of Kenya’s Independence, saying Kenya is the focal point for Israel in Africa.

He stressed his government’s commitment to further strengthen the cooperation between the two countries especially in areas of food security, energy, and tourism as well as internal and border security.

In the message, the President of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, said the success of Kenya’s electoral process, guided by a strong spirit of national cohesion and an impressive turnout, was a victory for the Kenyan democracy.

“I rejoice in the fact that our countries share the same ideal of coupling economic development with democracy and social inclusion. Kenya has been an important partner to Brazil at both the commercial and the technical cooperation levels,” Rousseff said.

The message from Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni said that he looked forward to consolidating the brotherly relations between Kenya and Uganda within the wider East African and the Great Lakes region.

President Museveni also congratulated the people of Kenya on holding a peaceful election, saying their conduct has redeemed the honour of Kenya and Africa.

In his congratulatory message, the Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mahmoud said Kenyatta’s ascension to office comes at a time when the Republic of Kenya has made significant strides in many spheres and has become one of the fastest growing economies in Africa.

“The outcome of the elections is indicative of the will and choice of the Kenyan general public entrusting you with their future. We are confident that under your wise leadership Kenya will continue its steady march towards the attainment of more development, progress and prosperity,” he said.

President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania underscored the commitment by his government to forging closer ties in all spheres of social, economic and political development.

On his part, Kenyatta appreciated the cooperation between Kenya and the respective envoys’ countries.

He said Kenya can learn a lot from Israel on technology especially with regards to food security.

Kenyatta maintained he looked forward to cooperating with Israel for Kenya to get the right technology required for food production as well as utilization of water and other resources.

He applauded Israel for its contribution to the horticultural sector in Kenya and underlined the need for Israeli investors to venture in other sectors of the economy.

On Kenya-Uganda relations, he assured the Ugandan envoy that his Government will deepen ties with the brotherly country of Uganda for the mutual interest of the people of the two countries.

On trade and movement of goods, the President-elect reassured the envoy that his Government will address the issue of non-tariff barriers as matter of priority.

He further said Kenya looked forward to cooperating with Brazil especial in the area of industrialisation and aviation. He encouraged Brazil manufacturers to set up bases in Kenya to assemble machinery locally.

Kenyatta also applauded the cordial relations that Kenya and Tanzania have continued to enjoy since Independence and reaffirmed his commitment to enhancing the cooperation for the benefit of the people of two countries.