Saturday, June 11, 2016
Electoral reforms, closure of Daadab refugee camp and the future of Kenya's trade with the European Union took centre stage in talks held at State House on Friday.
In a breakfast meeting with 20 EU Ambassadors, President Uhuru Kenyatta underlined the importance of the political dialogue between Kenya and the EU.
He said lives of many Kenyans depend on trade between Kenya and the EU owing to its market base of 500 million people.
"To Kenya, the EU is a very important partner,” President Kenyatta said adding that there is need to strengthen the Kenya-EU partnership.
He said that Kenya offers huge investment opportunities to the EU countries and further underscored the importance of the 40-year cooperation which has seen Kenya reap from bilateral ties with the members of the largest market economy in the world.
The President said these are some of the concerns he will take to Brussels during his official visit to Belgium, next week.
During the trip, the President is expected to meet with both the head of State and the head of government.
On the planned repatriation of Somali refugees and closure of the Dadaab camp, President Kenyatta assured the international community that the process would be carried out in a safe and humane manner.
“Let’s work together to relocate the refugees back home in a process that is safe and dignified. That process should also recognise their human rights and security”, said the President
The Head of State who talked at length about the Somali refugees said there were no comparisons between refugees in Kenya and the Syrian refugees in Jordan.
He said the scenario is Dadaab was much more complicated owing to the environmental and security impact of the Somali refugees.
The President said the effects were being felt as far as Lamu county and Namanga (Kajiado County) at the Tanzania border.
Besides the Dadaab camp itself, the President said, the refugees extend their threats of terrorism, radicalization, recruitment and environmental degradation to the neighboring counties.
"The environmental impact caused by the refugees and their livestock is already threatening to ignite major conflicts with the local communities," he said.
He called on the EU members to continue partnering with Kenya to assist Somalia rehabilitate the returning refugees and rebuild their country.
“We should not forget Somalia. We need to deal with this situation (of refugees) together”, he urged the EU further commending them as a strong and solid partner over the years in regard to the Somalia crisis.
The President said Kenya has over the past 20 years carried a huge responsibility over the Somalia crisis adding it was now time to assist the Somalis go back home.
“Kenya is not talking about the financial burden. We are talking about security and environmental burden,” he said.
The meeting also discussed the ongoing political dialogue between Kenya and the EU on trade, environment and the economy .
Foreign Affairs CS Amina Mohammed, who gave a brief on the political dialogue, described the ongoing conversations as both inquisitive and productive.
The political dialogue formally started in April and so far the cabinet secretaries for Treasury, Interior and Environment have held separate meetings with the EU.
EU Ambassador Stefano A Dejak who led the EU team to State House said the political dialogue between Kenya and the EU is quickly gaining momentum.
He said the meetings between Cabinet Secretaries and the EU will continue on a friendly and informal manner to foster continued co-operation.
The EU provides critical funding in areas of socio-economic development including transport infrastructure, energy and food security .
President Kenyatta also shared with the team the painful political road the country travelled before the country successfully midwifed the Constitution of Kenya 2010.
He said the country must not go the road where many lives were lost and property worth millions destroyed.
The President described the new constitution as the most progressive dispensation in the world.
He said the country needs full support to both implement and protect the new constitution adding that any reforms must be done within the provisions of the constitution.
Such reforms, said the President, must also follow the parliamentary route as envisaged in the new constitution including any changes to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).