Kenya’s president has complained that no British prime minister has
visited the east African country for 30 years, delivering a diplomatic
rebuke to Theresa May in a press conference on the final day of her visit to the continent.
Uhuru Kenyatta told May he was pleased she had “found time” to visit
and went on to struggle to remember Boris Johnson’s surname at the
culmination of a three-day trip aimed at boosting Britain’s trade and diplomatic presence in the country.
The president began proceedings by saying he was glad May had
“honoured our invitation to come and see for yourself our country and
continent that has changed in the last nearly four decades since a UK
prime minister visited”.
The last British prime minister to visit Kenya
was Margaret Thatcher in 1988. Since then, despite historic links
between the two nations, the east African country has increasingly
turned to China and the US for support and investment.
Appearing at the state house in Nairobi in a joint press conference
with May, Kenyatta was asked about an agreement to allow stolen funds in
Britain to be returned to Kenyato fund health, education and other
development projects.
He said: “Last year, if you recall, the foreign secretary – then Boris, erm, Boris, Boris Johnson – the bicycle guy
... Boris Johnson was here with ambulances. These ambulances were
bought courtesy of funds that had been seized, returned and utilised to
buy ambulances which were distributed across the country.
“I believe this only strengthens that and the ability of our two
countries and legal systems to be able to work together to ensure that
any assets that may have been acquired in the United Kingdom – that are
associated with corruption or any other such crime – are successfully
returned and put to use for the benefit of the people of the republic.”
Johnson resigned as foreign secretary last month in a dispute over May’s plans for Brexit.
The prime minister allowed herself a wry smile as the president
struggled to recall Johnson’s name, although earlier on her trip she had
cited “the number of visits that the former foreign secretary made just
last year to Africa” as an example of the UK’s commitment to the
continent.
In the press conference, Kenyatta repeated his reference to the long
gap between British prime ministers’ visits. “Yes, it has been 30 years,
but I don’t want to dwell on the past – we want to look to the future,”
he said.
The president said he hoped there would be more visits, adding:
“Despite the fact there hasn’t been a British prime minister, there has
always been a constant dialogue between the two countries, the two
governments.”.
Kenyatta went on to say Kenya was keen to seek investment from
anywhere in the world, a few days after returning from the US, where he
met Donald Trump, and shortly before a visit to China. He said the
country was “keen to seek friends across the world” and that “this is
the basis of the discussions we’ve had with the prime minister today, as
with President Trump and as we shall continue with China”.
May said she was delighted to be visiting Kenya and said she would
take away memories of the continent’s unforgettable “vibrancy and
beauty”. “The UK is already the largest foreign investor in Kenya,” she
said, adding that “as Britain prepares to leave the European Union we
are committed to ensuring a smooth transition” and promising that Kenya
would retain its duty-free quota access to the UK market.
Keynatta said he believed Brexit would have a neutral impact on
Kenya. “Brexit is not going to dent our ability to further strengthen
and deepen trade and investment between two countries ... I don’t see
Brexit as meaning anything detrimental to trade ties we already have.”
Kenyatta later told a business roundtable that May needed to come
back soon. “I’ve asked Theresa that she doesn’t necessarily have to go
to France and Italy for her holidays. She can come to Kenya and enjoy
the weather especially after Brexit.”
The government announced details of some aid initiatives, including
the Leave No Girl Behind programme, which aims to help 5,000 Kenyan
girls who have dropped out of school as a result of early marriage,
motherhood or gender-based violence to get back into education.
Aid will also be used to launch the Women’s Integrated Sexual Health (Wish) programme, to help millions of young people across Africa
to access family planning services. And, through the new Kenya
Catalytic Jobs Fund, grants will be provided to startups and other
technology ventures that have the potential to create high numbers of
jobs.
The minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin,
said: “It is a tragedy that so many young girls are needlessly robbed
of their education and career aspirations. We will only lift people out
of poverty by ensuring that every child can access quality education,
healthcare and employment, regardless of circumstance or gender.
“By tackling these issues together, UK aid will save countless girls’
lives, while allowing young people to plan their families, stay in
education and get better jobs, building better lives for millions of
young Africans for now and the future.”
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