Kenya and France seal deals as Macron attends environmental meet

Kenya and France signed a series of infrastructure agreements worth more than $3 billion under the public-private partnerships model when President Uhuru Kenyatta welcomed his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to the country on Wednesday.

In the first visit by a French head of state since Kenya's independence in 1963, the deals will see, among other projects, the construction of a commuter railway link between the central business district to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, about 20 kilometers from the downtown area.

The two leaders also negotiated a contract for more than $1.6 billion to improve a highway, which is more than 200 kilometers from the capital city, Nairobi, a stretch frequented by both passengers and cargo heading to western Kenya and further links the country to Uganda.

A statement from the statehouse said the deals span several industries, including roads, food, security, health and technology. "Some of the areas of interest between Kenya and France include economic and technical cooperation, regional peace and security, climate change, reform of the UN, migration and sustainable development, among others."

During a joint press conference, the Kenyan president said his administration has prioritized the transformation of the country through infrastructure expansion to support a growing and competitive economy.

"We have already put a significant amount of investment into the standard gauge railway, linking Mombasa and Nairobi, and will extend to the western part of the country. And as we are doing so, we hope to develop the commuter rail infrastructure and other public transport corridors to provide efficient, secure and accessible means of transport," Kenyatta said.

The French president emphasized his commitment of deepening relations with Kenya. "We are looking at working together in matters concerning security, counter terrorism and regional agenda," Macron said.

He added that France wants to be part of Kenya's new growth agenda and will sign new agreements to develop new public-private partnerships projects, which will be a sustainable approach of financing infrastructure expansion. "We want to be a partner in research and education and have signed a total of seven agreements to expand this area, which I believe is critical to your agenda," Macron said.

The two presidents also witnessed the unveiling of a new line of French-made vehicles assembled locally. The Peugeot 3008 car model was assembled at the Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers plant.

Macron, who is on a two-day visit, is later expected to attend the One Planet Summit, which aims at reversing climate change. The summit is held in Nairobi, at the UN offices where the Annual Environment Assembly has reached its fourth day.

Kenya was Macron's third stop after Djibouti, where peace and security dominated discussions. He later departed for Ethiopia.