Kenya, Türkiye deepen strategic ties as trade, investment and security take centre stage

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Kenya is seeking to translate its longstanding friendship with Türkiye into a stronger economic and strategic partnership, with investment, trade, tourism, aviation, health, defence and regional security emerging as priority areas for closer cooperation.

“Stronger global partnerships should open doors for Kenyan businesses, create jobs and connect our people to bigger markets,” Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi said following his engagement with a delegation from the Türkiye–Kenya Parliamentary Friendship Group in Nairobi.

Mudavadi said the talks explored ways of attracting more Turkish investment to Kenya

Kenya, Türkiye Advance Strategic Partnership with Focus on Trade, Investment and Regional Security

Kenya and Türkiye are moving to translate longstanding political and diplomatic ties into a more impactful strategic partnership anchored on trade, investment, connectivity, security, health and people-to-people cooperation.

The commitment emerged during an engagement between Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi and a delegation of the Türkiye–Kenya Parliamentary Friendship Group in Nairobi, where discussions centred on expanding areas of mutual interest and delivering tangible benefits to the citizens and economies of both countries.

“Stronger global partnerships should open doors for Kenyan businesses, create jobs and connect our people to bigger markets,” Mudavadi said, underscoring Kenya’s economic diplomacy agenda and the importance of converting diplomatic relations into concrete opportunities for citizens, businesses and investors.

Mudavadi highlighted the significant potential for increased Turkish investment in Kenya, expanded bilateral trade and stronger commercial linkages between enterprises in the two countries.

He identified tourism, aviation, manufacturing, investment and trade as priority areas where enhanced cooperation could contribute to job creation, technology and skills transfer, industrial development and Kenya’s integration into regional and global value chains.

A key focus was strengthening synergies between Kenya Airways and Turkish Airlines to enhance connectivity between the two countries. Improved air links would facilitate the movement of tourists, investors and business travellers while supporting stronger commercial and people-to-people exchanges.

For Kenya, enhanced connectivity with Türkiye also supports the country’s ambition to consolidate its position as a gateway to East Africa and a hub for tourism, investment and international business.

The Kenyan delegation was led by Hon. Dr. Adan Keynan Wehliye, CBS, MP, Chairperson of the Kenya–Türkiye Parliamentary Friendship Group, while the Turkish delegation was led by Ismail Güneş, Member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly for Uşak Province and Co-Chair of the Türkiye–Kenya Parliamentary Friendship Group.

The engagement highlighted the growing role of parliamentary diplomacy in complementing traditional government-to-government engagement and sustaining political dialogue between Kenya and Türkiye.

Güneş noted Türkiye’s expanding diplomatic presence in Africa, with its embassies on the continent having increased from 12 to 44, reflecting Ankara’s sustained commitment to strengthening political, economic and institutional partnerships with African countries.

He also cited successive high-level exchanges between Kenya and Türkiye, including presidential and parliamentary engagements, as having strengthened the political foundations of the bilateral relationship.

The parliamentary friendship groups provide an additional platform for advancing these relations through dialogue, legislative cooperation and advocacy for stronger economic and institutional linkages.

Security and regional stability featured prominently in the discussions, reflecting the shared recognition that peace and security are essential enablers of sustainable economic development.

The Turkish delegation offered to share Türkiye’s experience in counter-terrorism, defence-sector development and the establishment of an indigenous defence industry. Ankara also highlighted its engagement in Somalia and its broader interest in supporting peace and stability in the Horn of Africa.

The delegation referenced key bilateral defence instruments, including the Defence Industry Agreement signed in 2023 and the Defence Cooperation Agreement concluded in May 2026, expressing optimism that the agreements would progress through the respective legislative processes and provide an enhanced framework for cooperation.

Mudavadi welcomed Türkiye’s contribution to regional and international peace and security, particularly at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty.

He noted that conflicts in different parts of the world were generating consequences far beyond their immediate theatres, including disruptions to global supply chains with direct implications for African economies.

Mudavadi encouraged Türkiye to sustain its diplomatic and mediation efforts in support of dialogue and the peaceful resolution of conflicts, emphasising the importance of diplomacy in addressing increasingly interconnected global challenges.

Health emerged as another promising frontier for bilateral cooperation, with the Turkish delegation sharing experience in health infrastructure, social health protection and specialised medical services.

Türkiye expressed readiness to explore cooperation with Kenya in areas including hospital infrastructure, medical training, health technology, health-system management and health tourism.

Such cooperation presents opportunities not only for knowledge and technology transfer but also for strengthening institutional capacity and expanding access to specialised healthcare.

The Nairobi engagement underscored the increasingly multidimensional character of Kenya–Türkiye relations and the opportunity to give greater practical expression to the longstanding friendship between the two countries.

For Kenya, deeper engagement with Türkiye offers an avenue to diversify strategic and economic partnerships, attract quality investment, expand market access, strengthen connectivity and advance cooperation on regional security.

For Türkiye, Kenya remains an important partner in East Africa, offering significant scope for expanded commercial engagement and collaboration in support of regional peace, stability and development.

The engagement therefore signals a next phase in Kenya–Türkiye relations—one in which diplomatic goodwill is increasingly being translated into economic partnerships, strategic cooperation and practical opportunities for citizens and businesses.

At its core, the partnership reflects Kenya’s broader foreign policy objective of leveraging international relations to advance national interests, economic transformation, regional stability and shared prosperity.

Reporting originally appeared via KBC Digital. Read the full source for additional context.