Kenya's President William Ruto has met with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo in the capital Nairobi to bolster bilateral ties in various fields and to win the country's support for its assess to the market of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kenya's presidency said.
"President Ruto said that Kenya will be seeking the support of Indonesia to penetrate the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a fast‑growing trade bloc in Asia," the statement read.
For his part, Widodo noted that Indonesia could be Kenya's "entry point" into the ASEAN market, and Kenya could be the Southeast Asian country's gateway to Southern African markets.
The Indonesian president explained that Jakarta and Nairobi have a "historical affinity" since the Asian-African Conference in 1955 and the establishment of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961.
Following the talks, the leaders signed several memorandums of agreement on areas including food security, mining, renewable energy, health, livestock exports and apparel production.
President Ruto likewise added that Kenya will cooperate with Indonesia in the textile and garment, energy, petroleum and refining sectors.
"These sectors will grow our bilateral investment portfolio and contribute to increased trade," Kenya's president argued.
He explained that Nairobi will also work with Indonesia to attract global firms to invest in value addition chains, which will "help Kenya grow its industries and attain a trade balance with Indonesia."
Indonesia and Kenya established diplomatic relations in July 1979. Indonesia has an embassy in Nairobi and Kenya inaugurated its embassy in Jakarta in 2022.