Following bilateral discussions with the president of the Southeast Asian nation of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, Kenya, on Monday announced the removal of visa requirements for those having Indonesian passports.
In light of Kenya becoming open for business, Ruto stated at a press conference held at State House in Nairobi that it was crucial to gradually relax and eliminate entrance visa requirements for Indonesians.
“On our part as Kenya, we have taken the decision to extend visa-free entry not only to holders of diplomatic and service passports but also to all holders of Indonesian passports,” he said.
The topics of trade and investment, as well as cooperation in secondary, primary, and higher education, as well as vaccine development were discussed by Ruto and Widodo.
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Trade and investment are engines of our country’s transformation agenda. pic.twitter.com/da0s8VzS01
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) August 21, 2023
Nairobi and Jakarta agreed to work more closely to promote investment flows between the two nations by signing four Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) and a Letter of Intent.
Kenya also agreed to talk about a preferential trade agreement with Indonesia at the same time. President Ruto said the deal complies with continental trade laws and East African Community (EAC) rules.
“We have additionally discussed the importance of entering a Bilateral Investment Treaty that will provide a stable and predictable investment environment which is a precondition for accelerated Private Secretor Investment. We have tasked our joint teams to finalize the elaboration of this instrument within the next 90 days,” said Ruto.
Following Kenyan trade minister Moses Kuria's trip to Indonesia in May, when he met a delegation to discuss commercial collaborations between the two countries, President Widodo paid a visit there.
One of the agreements made at that time was the completion of a resolution allowing Kenya to export 700,000 cattle to Indonesia each year in August of this year.
Senegal and Indonesia, along with Kenya, are the most recent nations to remove visa requirements. By the end of the year, Kenya will also begin implementing its visa-free accords with the Comoros and the Congo.