President William Ruto, at the invitation of his counterpart President Paul Kagame, on April 4^th held a two-day State Visit to Rwanda.

The visit sought to review and strengthen the current state of bilateral relations between Rwanda and Kenya, evaluate progress made in the implementation of different existing areas of cooperation and explore more cooperation opportunities in areas of mutual interest.

The development saw the two countries sign various cooperation agreements in a bid to strengthen the already existing good relations. The inked Memoranda of Understanding are in the fields of correctional services, diplomatic training, ICT, health, youth, cooperatives, capacity development between Rwanda Management Institute and Kenya School of Government, gender and child development, education, and agriculture.

After witnessing the signing ceremony, both Heads of State expressed hope for stronger ties, thanks to the new memoranda of understanding.

“These new areas of cooperation will bring us even closer together,” said President Kagame, adding that Rwanda is happy to be home to a large and vibrant Kenyan community who are contributing to the development of the country.

So far there are more than 10,000 Kenyans living in Rwanda.

In his remarks, President Ruto emphasized that the new agreements will “consolidate the relationship between our two countries, present to us new momentum and create new impetus for the growing of our relations and expanding of our engagement.”

Both leaders also touched on cooperation on multilateral level, pledging to continue participating in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) including the Guided Trade Initiative and advancing the East African Community (EAC) integration agenda.

Before concluding his visit to Rwanda, President Ruto visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial and laid a wreath at the Memorial in honour of the lives lost during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

He also interacted with students at Carnegie Mellon University Africa and the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), observing the latest technology being used in sustainable agriculture practices.

Moreover, President Ruto visited and interacted with staff at Irembo, an online platform that offers access to over 100 public services, before meeting the Kenyan diaspora living in Rwanda.

Alfred Mutua (L), Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, and his Rwandan counterpart Minister Vincent Biruta (R) signing MoUs to enhance cooperation between the two countries.