Increased Qatari investments in renewable energy, affordable housing and telecommunications were top of the agenda when President Uhuru Kenyatta hosted visiting Deputy Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at State House, Nairobi yesterday.
The President, who expressed satisfaction with the growing bilateral relations between Kenya and Qatar, cited the establishment of a shipping line plying the Mombasa and Doha route as well as the recent launch of the Qatar Airlines flights to Mombasa twice a week as some of the ways that were increasing people-to-people interaction between the two countries.
Sheikh Mohammed, who delivered greetings to the President from the Emir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said his country values its friendship with Kenya and remains keen to support its growth over the years.
“We remain a solid partner to Kenya on all fronts. We are ready to work even more closely to take our cooperation to a higher level,” he said.
Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by the Qatari Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti and Qatar Ambassador to Kenya Jabr Bin Ali Al Dosari.
Housing sector
He assured Uhuru of his government’s support to the Big 4 Agenda-aligned programmes and singled out the housing sector as one of the areas of interest to Qatari investors.
The President updated the Qatari leader on the progress made in entrenching stability in the region, including the situation in Somalia and the recently signed transitional government agreement in Sudan.
“Without peace, there can be neither development nor prosperity. We are hopeful that the willingness portrayed during signing of the agreement in Sudan will go a long way towards the restoration of normalcy in that country,” he said.
