High Commission of India
Nairobi

India-Kenya Bilateral Relations

India and Kenya are maritime neighbours. The contemporary ties between India and Kenya have now evolved into a robust and multi-faceted partnership, marked by regular high-level visits, increasing trade and investment as well as extensive people to people contacts.

The presence of Indians in East Africa is documented in the 'Periplus of the Erythraean Sea' or Guidebook of the Red Sea by an ancient Greek author written in 60 AD. A well-established trade network existed between India and the Swahili Coast predating European exploration. India and Kenya share a common legacy of struggle against colonialism. Many Indians participated and supported the freedom struggle of Kenya.

India established the office of Commissioner for British East Africa resident in Nairobi in 1948. Apasaheb Pant was the first Commissioner. Following Kenyan independence in December 1963, a High Commission was established. India has had an Assistant High Commission in Mombasa. Vice President Dr. S Radhakrishnan visited Kenya in July 1956. Smt. Indira Gandhi attended the Kenyan Independence celebrations in 1963. PM Indira Gandhi visited Kenya in 1970 and 1981. PM Morarji Desai visited Kenya in 1978. President Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy visited Kenya in 1981. President Moi visited India for a bilateral visit in 1981 and for the NAM Summit in 1983.

Bilateral Institutional Mechanisms: 

JCM: Bilateral Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) at ministerial level was set up in 1999. The first JCM took place in 2003 in Nairobi. Second JCM was held in March, 2019 in New Delhi and the third JCM at Foreign Minister level was held in Nairobi in June 2021

JTC: The India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was set up at Ministerial level in 1983. The ninth session of JTC at CIM level was held in New Delhi in August 2019. 

FOC: An MoU on Foreign Office Consultations (FOCs) was signed in 2003. The first bilateral FOCs were held in Nairobi in June 2016 and the second round of FOCs was held in New Delhi on 8^th April, 2022.

First JDCC meeting on Defence was held in February 2019 in India and the second was held in November 2022 in Nairobi followed by a DefExpo and Seminar.

2nd Meeting of Joint Technical Committee on Housing was held in Nairobi in May 2019.

Visit of PM Modi: The State visit of PM Narendra Modi to Kenya on 10-11 July 2016 gave a new impetus to bilateral partnership. PM Narendra Modi and President Uhuru Kenyatta discussed a wide range of bilateral issues. Both leaders witnessed signing of seven (MoUs)/Agreements in the fields of defence, trade and developmental assistance. PM handed over 30 field ambulances for the use of the Kenya Defence Forces. PM and President Kenyatta addressed an India-Kenya Business Forum. Five business to business MoUs were signed on the side-lines of the business event. Both leaders visited the ‘India Innovation Pavilion’ and released a booklet on ‘Doing Business in Kenya’. PM addressed a gathering of over 20,000 Indian community members in Nairobi. Significantly, President Kenyatta joined him during the diaspora interaction. PM delivered a special lecture to a large gathering of students at the University of Nairobi and visited United Nations Office at Nairobi. India announced gifting of a state-of-the-art made in India cancer therapy machine – Bhabhatron II – to Kenyatta National Hospital, grant of US$ 1 million for the refurbishment of the Mahatma Gandhi graduate library of the University of Nairobi and holding of the first ever Festival of India in Kenya.

Visit of President William Ruto: President William Ruto paid a State Visit to India from 4-6 December 2023. He met with Rashtrapati ji who also hosted a State Banquet in his honour. He held detailed discussions with Prime Minister. Five MoUs/agreements were signed during the visit in the areas of Sports, Digital Solutions, Culture, Standards, and Education. President Ruto attended the India-Kenya Trade and Investment Forum on 5 December 2023 and also met with select business leaders of Indian companies. Announcements made and documents issued during the visit included - India-Kenya Joint Statement, Joint Maritime Vision Statement titled BAHARI; Kenya’s decision to to join ISA and the GBA; a LoC of US $ 250 million for Agriculture modernization; Customized training program for 20 Space Scientists in ISRO; A geo-spatial information portal for Kenya with Indian remote sensing data and; increase in ICCR scholarships from 48 to 80 per year.

Visit of President Kenyatta: President Uhuru Kenyatta paid a State Visit to India from 10-12 January 2017 on an invitation extended by PM Narendra Modi. The two leaders held official talks on 11 January in New Delhi. President Kenyatta attended the Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2017 on 10 January. President Kenyatta was accompanied by several Ministers, senior officials and a high-level business delegation. President Kenyatta held meetings with the President and Vice President and attended a business forum in Delhi on 12 January. Discussions were held on key elements of bilateral relationship including increasing cooperation in defence and maritime security, enhancing trade and investment relationship and counter-terrorism. MoU on Cooperation in the agriculture sector and allied sector and LoC for US$100 million for agricultural mechanization was signed during the visit. Earlier, President Uhuru Kenyatta attended the 3rdIndia-Africa Forum Summit and held bilateral meeting with PM Modi in October 2015.

Recent Ministerial Visits from India:

External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar paid an official visit to Nairobi from 12-15 June 2021 and co-Chaired the 3rd India-Kenya Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) with his counterpart Amb. Raychelle Omamo, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kenya. EAM also had a round table meeting with the Ministers for Foreign Affairs, Defence, Trade & Industry, ICT, Energy, and MoSs for Health and Treasury. EAM also called on President Uhuru Kenyatta and handed over a letter from Prime Minister. During the visit, EAM inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi Library at University of Nairobi which has been renovated with GOI grant assistance of US $ One million. EAM also had virtual interactions with prominent members of the business community and diaspora.

The joint statement issued after the JCM called for - joint efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic and to consolidate economic collaboration during post-Covid-19 period; for enhanced partnership both in the government and private sector in the areas of Health, Environment, ICT, Tourism, Higher Education, Automotive, Defence and Security; on establishing Joint Ventures in the pharmaceutical manufacturing; cooperation in Environment and forestry including, forest resource management, solid and water waste management, and agricultural value chains; for ongoing collaboration in the UNSC during the 2021-2022 term, among other things.

Hon’ble Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Shri. Bhupender Yadav visited Nairobi from 3-4 March 2022, to represent India at the special session of United Nationals Environment Assembly - UNEP@50 (50^th anniversary of UNEP) at United Nation office in Nairobi. He delivered India’s national statement, participated in Leadership Dialogues at the special session and held 11 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event. Hon’ble Minister also interacted with a cross-section of the Indian diaspora during his visit. Ms. Leena Nandan, Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Climate Change headed the Indian delegation for the resumed fifth session of the UNEA – UNEA 5.2 which was held from 28 February to 02 March 2022.

Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Shri V. Muraleedharan visited Kenya on 13 September 2022 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President elect Dr. William Samoei Ruto as the 5^th President of the Republic of Kenya. He also handed over the congratulatory message from PM Modi. MoS attended the official luncheon at the state house and had interactions with officials and the political leadership of Kenya. During his visit, MoS was also welcomed by the Indian community in an event that was attended by over 300 members of diaspora.

Hon’ble Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Om Birla accompanied by a parliamentary delegation paid an official visit to Kenya on 16-18 January 2023. This was first bilateral visit by an Indian Speaker in four decades. He called on President of Kenya and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The delegation held meetings with Speaker of the National Assembly; the Speaker of Senate and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru, the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS), visited Kenya in June 2023. He met General Francis O Ogolla, Chief of Defence Forces, KDF and Mr. Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary for Defence.

Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan paid an official visit to Kenya from 22-23 November, 2023. A 30-member business delegation from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) accompanied the Minister. He called on Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, and met Cabinet Secretary, Investment, Trade and Industry; and Principal Secretary, ICT and Digital Economy. He also addressed a India-Kenya joint business forum and launched the ‘India Kenya Business Council’ (IKBC) along with Ms Rebecca Miano, Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade and Industry.

A delegation led by Mr Dammu Ravi, Secretary (ER), visited Kenya from 10-12 April 2024 with approximately 25 Indian companies and institutes dealing in Agriculture sector to assess opportunities for investment in Kenyan agriculture sector. Secy (ER) held discussions with Principal Secretary ASAL Harsama Kello and Principal Secretary for Agriculture Dr Paul Ronoh during India-Kenya Business Forum organised 10 April 2024 which saw participation by over 100 companies. He called on Treasury Cabinet Secretary H.E. Prof Njuguna Ndung’u and held meetings with Principal Secretary Foreign Affairs Korir Sing’Oei, Governor of Uasin Gishu County Jonathan Bii and Governor of Narok County Patrick Ole Ntutu. He also held meeting with Mr Augustine Cheruiyot, Senior Advisor and Head of Economic Transformation and Secretariat, State House and David Ndii, Chairperson, President's Council of Economic Advisors. The delegation also undertook field visit in Nyandarua and Uasin Gishu County.

Recent Ministerial Visits from Kenya:

Cabinet Secretary Defence, Amb. Monica Juma virtually participated in Aero India-2021 and addressed the IOR Defence Minister’s Conclave in Bengaluru, India in February 2021. Cabinet Secretary, Foreign Affairs, Amb. Reychelle Omamo virtually participated in the Raisina Dialogue-2021 as a speaker in April 2021. 

Ms. Betty Maina, Cabinet Secretary for Trade & Industry, Kenya participated virtually in the CII-MEA Indo Pacific Business Summit in July 2021. Mr. Lawrence Karanja, Chief Administrative Secretary, Ministry of Industrialization Trade and Enterprise Development, Kenya addressed the Ministerial session at CII-EXIM Bank India Africa Conclave 2021 at the Special Ministerial Session chaired by Hon. Piyush Goyal, CIM. Dr. Rashid Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary for Health; Mr. Jerome Ochieng, Principal Secretary, State Department for ICT and Innovation also participated as speakers in other sessions.

Cabinet Secretary for Energy & Petroleum, Mr. Davis Chirchir visited India to attend ‘India Energy Week’ from 6-8 February 2023.

Chief Justice of Kenya, Ms. Martha Koome visited India under the Distinguished Visitors' Programme of ICCR in March 2023. During her visit, she paid a courtesy call on President of India. She joined Supreme Court bench during a hearing on invitation of Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India.

Principal Secretary for Wildlife Ms Silvia Museiya attended the launch event for the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) in Mysuru, Karnataka on 9 April, 2023.

Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication & Digital Economy, Mr. Eliud Owalo, led a team to India for the Global DPI Summit on the sidelines of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group in June 2023. The CS met with Minister of State for External Affairs Mr V Muraleedharan. The team also visited UIDAI, MOSIP, and IIIT-Bangalore.

Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Ms. Roselinda Soipan Tuya, visited India from 21-23 July 2023 for the Global Biofuel Alliance event on the margins of the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transition in Goa. She had a bilateral meeting with Minister, MoPNG, Shri Hardeep Puri.

Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Defence, Aden Duale, visited India from 28-31 August 2023. It was the highest level stand-alone political visit from Kenya since the new government assumed office in 2022. He had discussions with Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on expanding defence cooperation between the two countries. He also met External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and visited Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL). An MoU was signed between GSL & Kenya Shipyards Limited (KSL) for ship-building cooperation.

President William Ruto paid a State Visit to India from 4-6 December 2023. He met with Rashtrapati ji who also hosted a State Banquet in his honour. He held detailed discussions with Prime Minister. Five MoUs/agreements were signed during the visit in the areas of Sports, Digital Solutions, Culture, Standards, and Education. President Ruto attended the India-Kenya Trade and Investment Forum on 5 December 2023 and also met with select business leaders of Indian companies. Announcements made and documents issued during the visit included - India-Kenya Joint Statement, Joint Maritime Vision Statement titled BAHARI; Kenya’s decision to to join ISA and the GBA; a LoC of US $ 250 million for Agriculture modernization; Customized training program for 20 Space Scientists in ISRO; A geo-spatial information portal for Kenya with Indian remote sensing data and; increase in ICCR scholarships from 48 to 80 per year.

Bilateral Trade:

India is one of Kenya’s top trading partners with the trade relations encompassing various sectors of the economy. Until 2014-15, India was Kenya’s largest trading partner with bilateral trade of US$ 4.235 billion. According to data from the Department of Commerce, Government of India, the value of trade in FY 2023-24 stood at US$ 3.351 billion. Of this, the value of Indian exports to Kenya was US$ 3.175 billion while that of imports from Kenya to India was US$ 176.34 million. Main Indian exports to Kenya in the period included petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, machinery, cereals, sugars & confectionery, plastics & articles, vehicles, electrical machinery & equipment, organic chemicals and paper & paperboard. Main Kenyan exports to India on the other hand were tea, coffee, soda ash, edible vegetables, copper and articles, fertilisers, metal scrap, miscellaneous chemical products, lead and articles and zinc and articles. The following table summarizes the bilateral trade figures.

Year	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24
EXPORT	2,108.58	1,895.84	2,631.89	3,273.66	3,174.83
%Growth	1.77	-10.09	38.82	24.38	-3.02
% Share of India’s Export	0.6729	0.6511	0.6237	0.7259	0.7263
IMPORT	89.62	130.27	145.35	116.68	176.34
%Growth	-34.64	45.36	11.58	-19.73	51.13
%Share of India’s Import	0.0189	0.0331	0.0237	0.0163	0.0261
TOTAL TRADE	2,198.20	2,026.11	2,777.24	3,390.34	3351.17
%Growth	-0.49	-7.82	37.07	22.08	-1.16
TRADE BALANCE	2,018.96	1,765.57	2486.54	3,156.98	2998.49

(Source: Department of Commerce, India, Figures in USD million)

An India-Kenya Trade Agreement was signed in 1981, under which both countries accorded Most Favoured Nation status to each other. The India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was set up at Ministerial level in 1983 as a follow-up to the Agreement. The JTC has met nine times since, the last in August 2019 in New Delhi in which then Cabinet Secretary (Minister) of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Mr. Peter Munya co-chaired the meeting with the Commerce and Industry Minister (CIM) of India Mr. Piyush Goyal. CIM. Mr. Goyal, along with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar held a video conference meeting in April 2020 to explore opportunities to promote Indian exports.

Hon’ble Eliud Owalo, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, Government of Kenya led a delegation of Kenyan Government officials to the Global Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Summit organized by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India from 12-13 June, 2023 in Pune.

Hon'ble Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India (GoI), Shri. V. Muraleedharan paid an official visit to Kenya from 20-23 November 2023 and was accompanied by a 30 member CII business delegation.

Hon’ble Shri. Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India (GoI) led a large delegation comprising officials from Ministry of Agriculture, business chambers and 35 Indian agricultural companies and institutions on visit to Kenya from 10-12 April 2024 to explore opportunities in Kenya’s agriculture sector. The visit was in fulfillment of the decision taken in the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President of Kenya, during his State Visit to India from 04-06 December 2023. Among the delegation was Mr. Puneet Kundal, Additional Secretary, MEA, Dr. Praveen Kumar Singh, Agriculture Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Dr. Sharat Kumar Pradhan, Assistant Director General, Food and Fodder Crops, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. In the context of the delegation, High Commission of India, Nairobi and Agriculture Sector Network (ASNET) hosted the India-Kenya Agriculture Business Forum on 10 April 2024 in Nairobi and organized site visits to Narok and Nyandarua Counties.

Trade events organized/facilitated in CY 2024:

Within the year, the Mission has organized / participated in supported several trade-related events including India-Kenya DefExpo and Seminar (30-31 January 2024), Panel Discussion on India - Kenya Economic Engagement dubbed "Harambee Factor" in Nairobi (01 March 2024), Basic Chemicals, Cosmetics & Dyes Export Promotion Council (CHEMEXCIL) India - Kenya Chemical Business Meet in Nairobi (19 March 2024), Data Science AI Retreat (DSAIRe) for C-suite Executives in Nairobi (01-02 March 2024), TPCI Source India - East Africa (Buyer Seller Meet) on F&B and Packaging material in Nairobi (18-19 March 2024), India-Kenya Agriculture Business Forum (10 April 2024), Presentations by FAO, ICRISAT, ILRI, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, CIMMYT and Equity Bank during the aforementioned visit (11 April 2024), Meetings with Governors of Narok and Nyandarua Counties (12 April 2024) (the latter three events were in the context of a Hon’ble Mr. Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India (GoI) led delegation including 25 agriculture companies and institutions on a visit to Kenya from 10-12 April 2024), India Kenya Business Council (IKBC) Meeting in Nairobi (22 May 2024), Africa International Footwear and Leather Products Exhibition (AFLEX Kenya 2024) in Nairobi (29-31 May 2024), Africa-India Partnership Day in Nairobi (30 May 2024), Inauguration of Exim Bank of India East Africa representative office in Nairobi (30 May 2024), 25^th Buildexpo Kenya 2024 in Nairobi (05-07 June 2024), 1^st edition of Kenya Buildcon/Wood International Exhibition 2024 (06-08 June 2024), 9^th Agritec Africa in Nairobi (12 June 2024) among others.

Many business delegations to India have also been facilitated including Mega RBSM/B2B Meet with Indian Manufacturer Exporters and factory visit coinciding with Global Patidar Business Summit (GPBS) in Rajkot, Gujarat (07-10 January 2024), Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) in Mumbai (08-10 February 2024), 5^th edition of Delhi International Leather Expo (DILEX) - Reverse Buyer Seller Meet in New Delhi (04-05 March 2024), International Engineering Sourcing Show 2024 (IESS-XI 2024) (04-06 March 2024) and Plexconnect 2024 in Mumbai (07-09 June 2024) among others.

According to the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), India is the second largest investor in Kenya. Over 200 major Indian companies have invested in various sectors including manufacturing, real estate, pharmaceuticals, telecom, IT & ITES, banking and agro-based industries. Indian investments have resulted in creation of thousands of direct jobs to Kenyans. Indian pharmaceutical companies have a substantial presence in Kenya. A bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) was signed in 1989. Revised DTAA was signed in July 2016 and came into force on 30 August 2017.

A Joint Business Council (JBC) was set up in 1985 by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and the -p National Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KNCCI). FICCI and KNCCI signed a fresh MoU in January 2017 on the sidelines of the Business Forum during the State visit of President Uhuru Kenyatta. Revived JBC met in New Delhi in January 2017 and in August 2018. India Kenya Business Council (IKBC) was launched on 22 November 2023 in Nairobi during the India-Kenya Business Forum that was graced by Hon'ble Shri. Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India (GoI), Mr. V Muraleedharan, Hon’ble Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Investments, Trade & Industry, Government of Kenya, Ms. Rebecca Miano, High Commissioner of India in Kenya, H.E Ms. Namgya Khampa among other dignitaries.

Government of India consented to Kenya’s request for market access for its avocados. In a ceremonial flag-off, the first cargo of Kenyan avocados to India was dispatched from Nairobi as diplomatic cargo to the High Commission of Kenya in New Delhi on 16 September 2023.

EXIM Bank of India established office in Nairobi on 30 May, 2024.

Development Cooperation and assistance: India offers development assistance to Kenya in the form of loans and credit. The recent cooperations include a loan agreement to extend US$ 15 million (as first tranche out of US$ 30 million) to IDB Capital Limited (now renamed as Kenya Development Corporation – KDC) for development of SMEs in July 2016. A Line of Credit agreement of US$ 29.95 million for upgradation of Rift Valley Textiles Factory (RIVATEX East Africa Limited) was signed in July 2016. The upgraded facility was inaugurated by the then President Uhuru Kenyatta on 21 June, 2019. A Line of Credit (LOC) agreement of US$ 61.60 million has been extended for power transmission and substation projects.

An LOC agreement of US$ 100 million for Agricultural Mechanization Project was signed in January 2017. While discussions were ongoing on re-purposing the facility for revitalization of Coffee, Cotton and Livestock value chains, re-purposed for revitalization of Coffee, Cotton and Livestock value chains, during the State Visit to India of President of the Republic of Kenya, H.E. Hon. William Samoei Ruto from 04-06 December, 2023, Government of India agreed to extend a new USD 250 million Line of Credit (LoC) to Government of Kenya (GoK) for Agricultural Mechanization projects in line with Kenya’s national development priorities. The proposed facility is intended for supporting agriculture, one of the key pillars of the India-Kenya bilateral partnership.

High Commissioner and Vice Chancellor of the University of Nairobi signed an MoU for renovation of the Mahatma Gandhi Graduate Library at the University of Nairobi on 3 Oct 2016. The library, renovated at a cost of US$ One million was inaugurated during the visit of Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India in June 2021. 

A water hyacinth harvesting machine gifted to Kisumu country was jointly inaugurated by the High Commissioner and Governor of Kisumu County in November 2022.

On 14 May 2024, High Commissioner H.E Ms. Namgya Khampa handed over 2nd tranche of 40MT of humanitarian assistance supplies that included medical supplies and other equipment donated by Government of India for flood-affected Kenyans. Earlier on 10 May 2024, Deputy High Commissioner was at hand to receive Indian Naval Ship Sumedha which as the first responder in IOR, handed over food, relief & medicine supplies for flood victims to the Government of Kenya. 

Kenya is offered 300 civilian slots for training in various fields under the Indian Technical & Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme and roughly 80 ICCR scholarships. Apart from this, many Kenyan students go to India under the Study in India programme and as self-financing students. Three specialized ITEC courses were conducted for Kenyan officials during 2024 namely Gender Responsive Governance for 20 Kenyan nationals from 11-22 March, 2024 at Entrepreneurship Development Institute Of India; SMARTGRIDS course for 19 Kenyan Energy Officials from 19 – 23 February, 2024 at NTPC School of Business; and Wind Energy Systems for 19 Kenyan Energy Officials from 18-22 March, 2024 at NTPC School of Business. Previously, Government of India had also organized a special e-ITEC (online) course for Postal Department officers by the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai National Postal Academy in March-April, 2021. Another ITEC programme on Forensic DNA technology for 20 Biology Forensic Anayists of Kenya was organized in November 2022 at the request of Kenya National Police Service.

Regional and Multilateral Cooperation:
India and Kenya cooperate closely in regional and multi-lateral fora. Kenya is important member of the AU Committee of 10 Heads of State responsible for preparation of common African position on UNSC reforms. Kenya has extended (reciprocal) support for India’s candidature for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for term 2028-29. India and Kenya are also founding members of IORA.

People to people contacts: 

A bilateral Cultural Cooperation Agreement was signed in 1981. Mission, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of India and the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts of Kenya organized the first-ever Festival of India in Kenya named “Urafiki Utsav” from 10 October to 28 November 2016. Six cultural troupes from different parts of India performed in five cities of Kenya. Since 2016, under the sponsorship of ICCR, Indian artists are participating as adjudicators for the Kenya Music Festival. Mission distributed grants-in-aid from Ministry of Culture of India to 16 Kenyan organizations promoting Indian culture.

A 20-member cultural troupe along-with 4 Government officials from Kenya visited India to participate in 32nd Surajkund International Crafts Mela at Faridabad, organized by State Government of Haryana in collaboration with Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi held in February 2018. In February 2019, Kenya again participated in Surajkund International Crafts Mela. South Indian Cultural Festival was organized in May, 2019 in which Cabinet Secretaries of Ministry of Sports & Culture and of Ministry of Defence, Governors of Machakos and Laikipia Counties, Principal secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs graced the occasion with participation of more than 300 guests from Indian diaspora, Diplomatic corps, prominent Kenyans and media.

India is the fifth largest source of inbound tourists for Kenya. According to Kenya Tourism Board, out of 2.08 million tourists in 2023, 94,273 tourists were Indians. KTB has launched a marketing campaign in major Indian cities to increase tourist arrivals from India. In the other direction to India, in 2023, total 359 tourist visas were issued by the Mission.

The Kenya-India Friendship Association (KIFA) was set up in 1981. ‘Bharatwallah Alumni Association’ (an alumni association of Kenyan students who had studied in India for the last over 50 years) was formally launched in May 2016. The PM interacted with Bharatwallah Alumni Association in July 2016. Indian origin MPs Dr. Swarup Ranjan Mishra and Mr. Abdul Rahim Dawood visited New Delhi to attend the First PIO-Parliamentarians Conference on 9-10 January 2018. Ms. Champa Varsani and Mr. Darshan Chandaria visited South Africa to participate in the Gandhi-Mandela Youth Summit as part of Commemoration of 125th Anniversary of the Pietermaritzburg Railway Station incident on 6-7 June 2018.

Late Kenyan Nobel Peace laureate and environmentalist Prof. Wangari Maathai had been conferred the 2005 Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding as well as the 2006 Indira Gandhi Award for Peace, Disarmament and Development. Prof. Rachel Gesami of Kenya joined as Nelson Mandela Chair at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi in February 2018. An MoU on establishment of an ICCR Chair on Indian studies between ICCR and University of Nairobi was signed in March 2015. Dr. Seepana Prakasam served as the first ICCR Chair of Indian Studies at the University of Nairobi from Sept 2016-July 2017. 

India and Kenya enjoy non-stop air connectivity between Nairobi - Delhi on Air India (thrice a week) and Nairobi - Mumbai on Kenya Airways (twice daily). Recently in August 2023, Indigo Airlines has launched non-stop air service between Mumbai – Nairobi (daily) making it the airline’s first foray into Africa. Foreign airlines also provide air connectivity via Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Muscat, Addis Ababa and Kigali. Air India’s operations to Nairobi via Aden, which began in January 1951, the carrier’s second overseas route after London.

Cooperation in Health

Many Kenyans travel to India for medical treatment of critical ailments every year. It is understood that 90% of international medical travel from Kenya is to India, followed by Thailand and Turkey.

President Kenyatta commissioned an Advanced Telecobalt Cancer Therapy Machine – Bhabhatron II & Digital Radiotherapy Simulator – Imagin, gifted by India, at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi in August 2017. In May 2020, High Commissioner handed over the second tranche of essential medicines worth USD 1.54 million to Government of Kenya. The first tranche was handed over in July 2018. In August 2020, a gift of consignment of medicines related to COVID19 was handed over by Acting High Commissioner.

In 2022, Mission issued 4000 medical visas to Kenyans. Mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccines has also been agreed to by both sides. Under Vaccine Maitri, Kenya was given 1.12 million doses of Covishield in March 2021 (1.02 million under COVAX alliance and 100,000 as gift). A MoU for establishing a tertiary care hospital in Eldoret, Kenya was signed between Apollo Hospital and Baler Healthcare, Kenya. In 2023, Mission issued 1262 medical visas to Kenyans.

Indian Community and Diaspora in Kenya: Indians were trading with the Swahili coast since early historical times as evidenced by ancient works. With the region coming under Omani rule particularly Mogadishu, Mombasa and Zanzibar, Indian presence remained part of Swahili kaleidoscope. With the advent of Portuguese and finally British, Indian involvement became deeper. A large number of Indians came since 1895 to build the British railway line from Mombasa to Uganda. Kenyan Indians were also active participants in Kenya’s pre-independence period included the labour leader Makhan Singh, M. A. Desai and Pio Gama Pinto. Indian MP Diwan Chaman Lall joined Jomo Kenyatta’s defence team which included two other persons of Indian origin, F R S DeSouza (later Kenya’s Deputy Speaker) and A R Kapila, at his 1953 trial.

A vibrant community of persons of Indian origin presently numbered around 80,000 including an estimated 20,000 Indian citizens. There are many associations representing different communities among the Indian Diaspora as well as several places of worship, schools, etc. Several Kenyans of Indian origin have distinguished themselves as lawyers, judges, doctors and academics.

Five persons of Indian origin from Kenya have been awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman: Mr. Manilal Premchand Chandaria, Mr. Pheroze Nowrojee, Dr. FRS De Souza, Mr. P.V. Sambasiva Rao and Dr. Prakash M.Heda.

*****

[August, 2024]

High Commission of the Republic of Kenya in India

Government of the Republic of Kenya