Kenya and Rwanda sign 11 agreements at Nairobi commission meeting

Kenya and Rwanda have signed 11 bilateral instruments in Nairobi, Kenya's foreign ministry said in a statement on 6 October. The ministry listed the areas as diaspora affairs, immigration, local governance, irrigation and water resources, conservation, housing and urban development, culture and heritage, and justice, among others.

The instruments were signed during the Ministerial Segment of the 10th Session of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation (JPCC), held in Nairobi from 5 to 6 October 2026. Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Dr Musalia Mudavadi hosted the session and led the Kenyan delegation. Rwanda's delegation was led by Dr Usta Kaitesi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The ministry said the instruments give the two countries "an enhanced framework" for implementing existing commitments and expanding cooperation into new areas. The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), in a report dated 6 October, said the instruments were signed on Tuesday.

In his remarks, as summarised by the ministry, Mudavadi reaffirmed Kenya's commitment to the partnership, particularly in trade and investment, infrastructure, transport and logistics, ICT, tourism and East African Community (EAC) integration. He said moving people, goods, services and capital within the EAC was important. He also pointed to reciprocal land arrangements for the Kenya High Commission in Kigali and for Rwanda's property in Mombasa and Naivasha.

Mudavadi also cited the recent arrival of Rwanda's maiden 40,000-tonne bulk petroleum cargo at the Port of Mombasa, which the ministry said he described as an important milestone for economic cooperation and regional supply chains.

Kaitesi said Rwanda imported goods worth more than US$398 million from Kenya in 2025, while its exports to Kenya stood at US$5.3 million, according to the ministry statement. She described the two countries as longstanding strategic partners and noted that cooperation had expanded across diplomacy, security and defence, education, transport, logistics, trade and investment.

The Rwandan minister commended Kenya's role in African Union institutional reforms, according to the statement. She reaffirmed Rwanda's commitment to the African Continental Free Trade Area and to regional integration through the Northern Corridor, and welcomed Kenya's development of the East African Oil Refinery in Lamu.

The two countries agreed to deepen cooperation in defence and security, agriculture, tourism, trade and investment, ICT, education, health and private sector engagement, among others.

The ministry said both sides agreed on implementation timelines, with Technical Committees expected to follow up on the commitments. A Mid-Term Review of the JPCC outcomes is to be held in Kigali by October 2027. The 11th JPCC is scheduled for October 2028.

Also present on the Kenyan side were Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen (Interior and National Administration), Eric Muriithi Muuga (Water, Sanitation and Irrigation) and Alice Wahome (Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development), and Attorney-General Dorcas Agik Oduor. Rwanda's Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, and Minister of Infrastructure, Dr Damien Murwanashyaka, were among those from the Rwandan side.