US diplomat and Uhuru in talks to boost trade, security

A senior US official met President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House in Nairobi for talks on deepening bilateral ties.

Assistant Secretary for Bureau of African Affairs Tibor Nagy is in Nairobi to, among other issues, discuss strategic partnership, regional security, trade and investment.

Operations against Al Shabaab will feature in the meetings between Nagy and Kenyan Government officials.

During yesterday's meeting, President Kenyatta said Kenya and the US faced similar threats and welcomed the cooperation that the two countries had cultivated over the years in dealing with security challenges.

Trade potential

Uhuru expressed the need for Kenya and the US to strengthen their trade and investment ties, saying the potential for cooperation in that area was not fully exploited.

“We have a strong strategic partnership on other spheres but on the economic side, it is not as strong as it should be,” the President said at the meeting that was also attended by Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Macharia Kamau.

On Wednesday, the US official met Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma.

Nagy will also visit Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea before flying to Stuttgart, Germany, where he will meet the United States Africa Command.

The US military forces in support of the Federal Government of Somalia has continued to annihilate and degrade Al Shabaab in a series of airstrikes.

In its fresh airstrike, the US hit an Al Shabaab target in Lebede on November 30, killing nine suspected militants.