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- Zimbabwe is set to support Kenya's bid for AU Commission chair. In return, Kenya will support the former's rejoining of the Commonwealth.
- Kenya will also help Zimbabwe oppose "illegal" sanctions.
- William Ruto opened the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair on Saturday.
Zimbabwe will be backing Nairobi's bid to get veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga elected as African Union Commission chairperson next year.
In return, Kenya has pledged its "unreserved" support for Zimbabwe's bid for readmission into the Commonwealth.
This came out of discussions between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, at the weekend, in Bulawayo.
Ruto was invited by Mnangagwa to open the country's premier trade showcase, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
In a statement, the Kenyan presidency said the countries would support each other's interests.
"I am assured that Kenya and Zimbabwe will persist in conferring and backing each other on multitude issues of bilateral, regional, and continental significance alongside the African Union Agenda 2063," Ruto is cited as saying.
"Based on this, I wish to declare Kenya's unreserved support for Zimbabwe's readmission to the Commonwealth, and for the African Union's call for the immediate lifting of all illegal sanctions against the Republic of Zimbabwe."
READ | Zimbabwe holds rates steady at 20% in first meeting since ZiG debut
The AUC will become vacant at the end of former Chadian prime minister Moussa Faki Mahamat's term.
This time around, East Africa will be vying for the post.
Odinga will be up against Djibouti's foreign minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
Harare-Nairobi relations
Trade between Zimbabwe and Kenya is relatively insignificant; the main exports shipped from Zimbabwe to Kenya in the last measured year were raw tobacco ($6.39 million), raw sugar ($4.77 million), and corn ($621 000).
Zimbabwe's exports to Kenya have climbed at an average rate of 4.99% during the last 27 years, rising from $3.39 million in 1995 to $12.6 million in 2022.
In 2022, Kenya exported $26.6 million worth of goods such as paper, metal stoppers and margarine.
Ahead of Ruto's arrival, there was a three-day Fourth Session of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation.
During the session, country representatives signed instruments of cooperation in defence and training, cooperation in science research and education, transport and infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture, and livestock.
They also signed agreements on capacity development in human capital for public service and government.The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
