Kenya, Finland sign MoUs on dialogue, peace during President Stubb’s historic visit

Kenya and Finland have signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs), aimed at enhancing political consultations and boosting peace mediation and conflict resolution efforts, as part of a broader framework to deepen ties between the two countries.

The signing took place on Monday at the State House, Nairobi, during the historic first state visit to Kenya by Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who was accompanied by First Lady Suzanne Innes-Stubb.

President William Ruto, who hosted the Finnish leader, described the visit as a milestone in the two nations’ relations, noting it coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties established in 1965.

“This inaugural state visit reflects the enduring friendship and strategic partnership between our two nations,” President Ruto said, adding that the relationship is anchored on shared democratic values and a mutual vision for a just, prosperous and sustainable world.

The two leaders held high-level bilateral talks focused on cooperation in education, health, renewable energy, trade and investment, climate action and peace and security.

“We have just concluded high-level bilateral discussions focused on deepening cooperation in education, health, renewable energy, trade and investment, peace and security, multilateral engagement, and climate action,” Ruto said.

He announced that the two sides had signed MoUs on political consultations and peace mediation, and conflict resolution, with teams from both countries set to speed up frameworks in education, tourism and labour recruitment. These, he noted, would promote skills development, institutional partnerships and closer people-to-people ties.

“Finland’s expertise in education, technology, renewable energy, and climate action aligns closely with Kenya’s development priorities. We look forward to strengthening existing collaborations and exploring new opportunities to elevate our cooperation to a strategic level,” he said.

Global leadership

On education, Ruto lauded Finland’s global leadership and said Kenya was keen to partner in transitioning to a competency-based education system. He said an education cooperation framework was in the works to cover basic, technical, vocational and higher education.

The head of state also noted that President Stubb will visit one of the technical training institutions to witness firsthand the transformative impact of technical and vocational training on youths.

Ruto also commended Finland’s universal healthcare system and highlighted Kenya’s progress under Taifa Care, the country’s new universal health coverage initiative. He said both nations agreed to share experiences and explore joint strategies to improve health service delivery.

On trade and investment, Ruto welcomed the presence of a Finnish business delegation participating in a Kenya-Finland business seminar.

“This underscores our shared commitment to deepening private sector engagement and unlocking mutually beneficial opportunities,” Ruto said, adding that both nations were keen on implementing the Kenya-EU Economic Partnership Agreement that took effect in July 2024.

Environmental conservation

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Environmental conservation featured prominently in the talks, with Kenya seeking to learn from Finland’s achievement of over 75 per cent forest cover. Ruto said the two countries would collaborate closely to help Kenya reach its target of 30 per cent forest cover by planting 15 billion trees by 2032.

“We look forward to learning from Finland’s expertise in sustainable forest management, reforestation technology, biodiversity conservation, and balancing economic and environmental goals,” he said.

At the multilateral level, Ruto said both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a rules-based international order, fair financing for sustainable development, and global climate action.

He also briefed President Stubb on the Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in 2023, where African countries committed to leading the green energy transition.

Ruto said both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in climate-smart agriculture, renewable energy, and biodiversity conservation, with a shared ambition of achieving 100 per cent clean energy by 2030.

On regional and global security, the leaders discussed the impact of conflict and reiterated support for peace efforts in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes region.

“I assured President Stubb of Kenya’s continued advocacy for dialogue as a path to resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” Ruto said.

He expressed optimism that the visit would mark the beginning of a new chapter in Kenya-Finland relations.

“As we embark on this historic first state visit by a Finnish president to Kenya, we reaffirm our commitment to strengthening Kenya-Finland relations for the mutual benefit of our peoples,” Ruto said.