NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 15— India is seeking to deepen trade, investment, development cooperation and people-to-people ties with Kenya, with its High Commission in Nairobi pledging to widen engagement beyond traditional partners and explore practical opportunities with new stakeholders.
High Commissioner of India to Kenya Dr Adarsh Swaika said the mission would make expanding the two countries’ economic and development partnership a key priority as New Delhi seeks to strengthen its relations with one of its foremost partners in Africa.
Speaking during celebrations to mark India’s 80th Independence Day in Nairobi, Swaika said the High Commission would continue focusing on “expanding our trade and investment partnership, development cooperation and our educational and cultural bonds” with Kenya.
“We are open to any practical and scalable suggestions in this regard, and you would have seen this approach in our engagements with a number of stakeholders, including many of you present here,” Swaika said.
He said the mission was deliberately broadening its outreach to include organisations and individuals beyond those with whom it has traditionally worked.
“Let me make one aspect very clear: it is not that High Commission will only engage with people with whom it has traditionally been interacting with,” he said.
“We have engaged with so many new organizations and people, both on the Indian diaspora side as well as local Kenyan side, to enlarge our ambit. And we will continue doing that.”
India steps up support for Kenya’s Ebola preparedness
Swaika also highlighted India’s recent health assistance to Kenya, saying New Delhi had supplied about 16 tonnes of medical supplies and equipment to strengthen Kenya’s preparedness for the prevention and surveillance of Ebola virus disease.
The assistance was delivered over the previous three weeks, making India among the first partner countries to respond to Kenya’s preparedness needs, according to the High Commissioner.
“We are one of the first partner countries to provide such a prompt assistance,” Swaika said, describing the support as a demonstration of solidarity between the two countries.
“This builds upon our earlier COVID assistance and flood-relief supply. I cannot think of a much better solidarity between nations then through such actions,” he said.
The latest assistance comes as Kenya continues strengthening its preparedness and response capacity against Ebola and other public health threats.
High-level engagements
Swaika said India viewed Kenya as “one of our foremost partners in Africa”, pointing to a series of high-level engagements and progress in bilateral cooperation.
He cited the visit of Kenya’s Speaker of the National Assembly to India and other high-level engagements as evidence of the growing relationship.
“Progress is being made in different domains, whether it is in terms of holding of long-pending meetings of institutional mechanisms, growth in trade and investments or greater cultural appreciation,” he said.
The High Commissioner also praised Kenya’s Indian-origin community for its contribution to the country’s socio-economic development.
He said that during his more than 10 months in Kenya, discussions with leaders and people from different sectors had consistently highlighted the contribution of the Indian diaspora.
“I must confess the strong admiration and respect that the Indian-origin community enjoys within this country,” Swaika said.
“The one thing that comes out in almost all my meetings with the leadership as well as people from different walks of life in Kenya is the contribution of the India-origin community towards the socio-economic development of this country.”
‘Bharat Connection’ to document diaspora contribution
The High Commission has also launched an Oral History Project dubbed “The Bharat Connection”, which will document the experiences and contributions of prominent members of the Indian diaspora in Kenya.
Swaika said the project would feature interviews with individuals who have made significant contributions to Kenya’s socio-economic development while strengthening bilateral relations.
“We have started the project this week,” he said, adding that the episodes would be released through the High Commission’s social media platforms.
The project, he said, would provide “a living record for posterity” while highlighting the role of the Indian-origin community in Kenya.
Cultural and consular outreach
Swaika further pledged greater cooperation with Indian diaspora organisations in promoting Indian culture and traditions in Kenya.
He said the High Commission would continue supporting cultural, charitable and humanitarian activities organised by diaspora groups and would also partner with some of them in future initiatives.
The mission is also expanding its consular outreach outside Nairobi. Swaika said three consular camps had already been held in Kisumu, Nakuru and Eldoret over the past nine months, with another planned for the Mt Kenya region in October.
He also highlighted changes to the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card system, including the introduction of the E-OCI card, saying the mission had held a workshop with representatives of diaspora organisations to improve awareness of the changes.
The celebrations in Nairobi also featured activities linked to India’s global ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, with the High Commission among 54 Indian missions participating in the “Surya Path Tiranga” initiative.
Swaika said the mission had also organised a series of cultural and educational activities, including the Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz, a Warli art workshop, a Viksit Bharat 2047 painting competition, a photography competition and the “My India My Story” campaign.
