Kenya, Zambia to restore close ties

President Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed confidence that Kenya and Zambia will restore close ties enjoyed in the past.

The president, who was the chief guest at the 51st Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF), said under the leadership of Kenya’s first President Jomo Kenyatta and Zambia’s founding president Dr Kenneth Kaunda, the two countries enjoyed close working relations, which can be revived in the current regime.

During his two-day State visit, President Kenyatta held bilateral talks with Zambian President Edgar Lungu and also witnessed the signing of bilateral agreements aimed at boosting trade between the two countries.

The agreements were reached at the 9th Session of the Kenya–Zambia Joint Permanent Commission of Cooperation (JPCC) held in Nairobi last month.

President Kenyatta, who was accompanied by foreign affairs cabinet secretary Amina Mohamed, also paid a visit to Zambia’s former president Kenneth Kaunda.

The trade fair, which attracted close to 325 companies from Zambia and 15 other countries, is also part of the events to mark Zambia’s Golden Jubilee anniversary.

Meanwhile, President Uhuru Kenyatta has returned from Ndola, Zambia, where he had gone to grace the ZITF.

The plane carrying the President landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly after 8.30pm.

He was received at the airport by the Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery, Chief of Kenya Defence Force General Samson Mwathethe and other senior government officials.