New Delhi: Kenya's cabinet secretary for defence Aden Bare Duale arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a three-day visit.
On Tuesday, Duale will hold talks with Defence Minister Rajnath. The visiting dignitary is expected to visit Indian shipyards and defense industries in Goa and Bengaluru during his stay.
This is the maiden visit of Cabinet Secretary Duale to India and the highest-level stand-alone political visit from Kenya since the new government assumed office in September 2022.
The visit is indicative of the importance India attaches to its relations with African nations and the growing cooperation between India and Kenya, in particular. It is expected to open new avenues for further strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries.
In June, the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff was on a three-day official visit to Kenya, during which the two countries focused on strengthening the bilateral defense relations.
The visit has coincided with Indian Naval Ship Sunayna making a port call in Mombasa as part of the ‘Ocean Ring of Yoga’ as part of the Centre's 9th International Day of Yoga celebrations.
In July 2016, India and Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation and India gifted 30 field ambulances to the Kenya defence forces to support its role in combat duties. Earlier, admiral RK Dhowan, the previous Chief of Naval Staff, visited Kenya in November 2015.
