President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Tanzanian counterpart John Pombe Magufuli on Monday morning held a closed-door meeting at State House where they discussed a couple of issues affecting the two countries.
During the discussion, the two presidents agreed to revive meetings under the Joint Cooperation Commission (JCC) to boost trade and development ties between Kenya and Tanzania.
Foreign ministers of the two nations were directed to organise the meetings under JCC which have been at a standstill since September 2012.
“Our officers should hasten the holding of this important forum. I am confident that reviving these talks will strengthen our relations,” President Kenyatta said.
Secondly, Mr Magufuli promised to support Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed in her bid to clinch the African Union (AU) Commission chairmanship.
The Tanzanian leader also vowed to work hand-in-hand with President Kenyatta in the fight against terrorism.
“We have agreed that our security agencies will work closely to fight terrorism and share information and experiences,” Kenyatta stated.
At the State House talks, the two heads of state resolved to work together in infrastructure development for the benefit of their citizens. The projects in question include the road from Bagamoyo in Tanzania to Malindi in Kenya and another one through Isebania to Western Tanzania.
Magufuli and Kenyatta further highlighted that they would work together to ensure that they help out struggling countries like South Sudan.
The new agreements come at a time when the relationship between Kenya and Tanzania has been under serious scrutiny with reports indicating that the two heads have been in an unspoken tussle.
In 2015, media reports indicated that there was a looming crisis after Tanzania slapped Kenya with restrictions on flights entering its airspace.
