Britain has agreed to abolish travel advisories that it has been imposing on Kenya over the years, pointing out that they are not good for the country’s economy.
The move was reached following President Uhuru Kenyatta’s bilateral talks with the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in London on Tuesday.
“What happens when these travel advisories are issued is that there are job losses especially in the tourism sector presenting an opportunity for radicalisation of our young people,” Mr Kenyatta said.
Mr Kenyatta and the British PM also agreed that the two countries would continue to cooperate in the fight against terrorism.
“We would like to partner in combating terrorists. These criminals have continued to cause harm to our people and it is about time we combined forces to fight back,” President Kenyatta said.
Mr Johnson acknowledged that Kenya has borne the brunt of terrorism and there was need to join forces to curb the menace.
He said the British military training outpost in Nanyuki will continue to train Kenyan officers as a way of bolstering the military partnership between the two countries.
UK issued a travel advisory recently to its citizens visiting Kenya, warning that terrorists might try to carry out attacks. The alert followed a terrorist attack on Manda-Magogoni military base used by both US and Kenyan forces on Manda Bay Island in Lamu. The attack by Somalia-based Al Shabaab militants left three Americans – one US military servicemember and two contractors – dead.
The British government advised its citizens to be vigilant when visiting areas frequented by foreigners including hotels, sporting events, shopping centres, coastal areas including beaches, and transport hubs.
UK is the fourth leading source of international tourists to Kenya, last year having contributed to the 3,9 percent growth of tourism earnings which stood at Sh163.6 billion and arrivals remaining above the two-million mark.
ENERGY
Mr Kenyatta and Mr Johnson also discussed partnerships between the two countries in green technology investments, an area the UK has made significant milestones.
British PM said the UK is particularly interested in helping Kenya achieve its objective of attaining 100 percent to green energy sources.
“We are doing well on renewable energy and certainly we would like to partner with you,” said Mr Johnson.
