President William Ruto and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, signing the strategic partnership at 10 Downing Street in London on July 1, 2025.
Kenya and the United Kingdom have renewed their strategic partnership, opening a new chapter in bilateral relations focused on trade, investment, technology, and security.
The strengthened agreement builds upon the existing 2020–2025 framework and was formalised during a high-level meeting between President William Ruto and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer today at 10 Downing Street in London.
The President said the upgraded partnership aims to double trade volumes between the two countries in the next five years, with a strong focus on job creation and economic growth.
“This will create wealth and jobs, and deliver a tangible economic impact,” he noted
One of the most significant announcements was the unveiling of the Nairobi City Project as the flagship initiative under the new framework.
He
said the project would revolutionise urban transport, improve mobility, and
stimulate economic activity within the Nairobi Metropolitan area. Kenya is
finalising the financing framework and has committed to providing counterpart
funding.
“This will be transformative, it will improve mobility, stimulate growth and foster prosperity in the Nairobi Metropolitan,” he noted.
The President also praised the continued collaboration on peace, security, and defence, citing the Kenya–UK Defence Cooperation Agreement as a key pillar of their relationship.
“We remain committed to the full and timely implementation of this agreement, which has brought significant benefits,” he added.
Kenya and the UK have had bilateral relations since 1963. The two countries have maintained uninterrupted diplomatic relations since then.
Over that period, Kenya and the UK have had a long-standing cooperation in trade, security, development, and tourism, with the UK ranking as Kenya's largest foreign investor.
Currently, there are about 100 UK investment companies based in Kenya, valued at more than 2 billion pounds. Significant British investors include Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, GlaxoSmithKline, ACTIS (formerly CDC Capital Partners), De La Rue and Unilever.
On the other hand, the UK is Kenya’s second most important export destination.
Additionally, the UK is the largest source market for Kenya’s tourism and the Royal family has taken a keen interest in supporting wildlife conservation in Kenya through several charities such as Tusk and the Duke of Edinburgh International Awards Trust, which is involved in among other things, environmental conservation, and has its regional office for Africa in Nairobi.
