Germany continues to be firmly committed to fostering economic, social development

Today Germans celebrate their National Day. This day commemorates the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German reunification on October 3, 1990.

Bilateral relations between Germany and Kenya are excellent. In April, this year, President Uhuru Kenyatta paid a successful visit to Germany, cementing our political relations and boosting our economic ties.

The presence of German companies in Kenya is increasing. Volkswagen announced the opening of a factory in Thika, where the Polo Vivo will be assembled for the Kenyan market. Lufthansa is back, with regular direct flights between Nairobi and Frankfurt. Allianz has also opened an office here and will soon expand its activities to other regions.

These enterprises will create jobs and provide opportunities for vocational training. This will benefit both Kenya and German companies. One of the signs that German businesses are increasingly interested in the African market is the upcoming German-African Business Summit in Nairobi in February 2017.

FIRMLY COMMITTED

Germany continues to be firmly committed to fostering economic and social development. Following a visit by Dr Gerd Müller, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, in March this year, Kenya and Germany agreed to adopt a new focus in their bilateral programme of cooperation: “Sustainable economic development — promotion of youth employment and vocational training.” Negotiations between the two countries detailing the content of the next two-year cycle of development cooperation were recently concluded. Germany has pledged to provide technical and financial assistance amounting to more than 250 million euros (Sh28.4 billion) for the financial years 2017 and 2018.

It is in this spirit of ever closer cooperation that Germany supports Kenya’s commitment to further regional integration within the East African Community. We remain hopeful that other member states will soon follow the example of Kenya in signing the partnership agreement with the European Union.

Germany continues to encourage initiatives in the region in the interest of order and securing peace, an important precondition for promoting further economic growth. We roundly condemn terrorist activities on Kenyan soil and praise Kenya’s efforts in stabilising neighbouring Somalia and its willingness to help defuse the crisis in South Sudan.

A MILLION

Germany currently hosts more than a million refugees and, therefore, understands how big the challenges of attending to the needs of refugees are. We also know that there are no easy solutions to the refugee problem. It is in this light that we see Kenya’s efforts in Kakuma and Dadaab. We are pleased to note that the Kenyan government has announced that repatriation of refugees from Dadaab will be on a strictly voluntary basis, dignified and in full accordance with international law. Germany is ready to support Kenya to this end. This year, we have contributed funds to projects to improve refugees’ living conditions in Kenya.

2017 is an election year for Kenya and Germany and we will see tough campaigns and heated debate in both countries, as it is normal for any democracy. We warmly welcome the recent compromise reached between the Kenyan Government and the Opposition for reforming the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and electoral procedures.

This agreement aims at balancing the interests of all parties concerned and improving trust in the electoral process. As a long-time friend of Kenya since independence, and with a vital interest in a strong and unified nation, Germany supports all efforts to this end. This entails democracy and hence peaceful and fair elections.

Jutta Frasch is the German ambassador to Kenya.