With Russia’s help, Kenya to ensure every household has electricity

On November 9-10, the Russian city of Sochi hosted the First Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, which brought together delegations from across the African continent to assess the implementation of the decisions taken by leaders at the Second Russia-Africa Summit.

Kenya is set to deepen its cooperation with Russia, particularly in the fields of nuclear and renewable energy, agriculture, infrastructure, and education.

Kenya's Ambassador to Russia, Peter Mutuku Mathuki, highlighted the potential for collaboration in these areas, emphasizing the mutual benefits that could be realized through strengthened ties.

"Kenya is looking forward to improving the capacity of power production, actually going towards more green energy," Ambassador Mathuki told Sputnik Africa.

"We [want] to ensure that every household in Kenya has power, to ensure that every industry has sufficient power."

The diplomat emphasized the importance of ensuring energy security, saying that achieving this goal will increase Kenya's production and manufacturing. 

"Once energy is sorted out in Kenya that will resolve the issue of manufacturing and jobs creation, especially for youth."

In addition to energy, Kenya is keen on leveraging Russia's expertise in agriculture, seeking to adopt advanced agri-technology to increase productivity, enhance incomes, and create jobs, Mathuki said.

"The other area is fertilizer, and we've been getting a lot of that from Russia. Now we want to see how we could have the companies that do with fertilizers invest in Kenya, so that then it becomes easy but also becomes more sustainable," he added.

Kenya is also looking to Russia for assistance in infrastructure development, particularly in the areas of urban planning and cleaner infrastructure.

The ambassador believes that cooperation in this field could significantly enhance the quality of life for Kenyan citizens.

"The African continent is looking for more sustainable development," Ambassador Mathuki said, highlighting the significance of the first ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum in Sochi, where African delegations gathered to strengthen ties with Russia.

He also underscored the fundamental difference in Moscow's approach to Africa compared to the West, emphasizing Russia's historical non-involvement in colonization and its respect for African sovereignty.

"If you want to partner with us, please come and partner with us, not under any conditions, but appreciating that African states remain independent and sovereign," Ambassador Mathuki stated.

Furthermore, the Kenyan diplomat urged international media outlets to focus on Africa's positive narrative.

He stressed the importance of understanding Africa's priorities and common interests, emphasizing the need to avoid negativity and instead highlight issues like empowerment, youth, and women's development.

"It's about understanding what Africa stands for and understanding what the priorities are in Africa," Ambassador Mathuki told Sputnik Africa.

He suggested that by focusing on the issues that drive Africa's agenda and promote its independence, Sputnik Africa could establish stronger partnerships with other African media agencies.

"There's a huge opportunity for you to really partner with your colleagues in Africa and promote and bring out Africa positively. Because there is quite a number of African coverage [that] is negativity," he concluded.