Kenya and Australia have reaffirmed their long-standing diplomatic relations and committed to deepening cooperation in key sectors including trade, agriculture, mining, and the blue economy.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, hosted Australia’s Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Assistant Minister for Immigration, Matt Thistlethwaite, during his two-day visit to Kenya.
The meeting was held at the Railways Headquarters in Nairobi on October 13, 2025.
Mudavadi said the discussions reflected the warm and friendly ties between the two nations, built on six decades of mutual interests.
“We delved into avenues for further deepening our bilateral cooperation in the future,” he said.
The talks focused on broad areas of collaboration, including trade and investment, agriculture, tourism, mining, sports, environmental conservation, climate change, and labour migration.
On mining, the two sides pledged to strengthen collaboration, with Kenya seeking to benefit from Australia’s experience in developing a robust and sustainable mining sector.
In agriculture, both countries agreed to cooperate in improving seed varieties, livestock rearing, and ranching.
Mudavadi emphasized the need for mutual efforts to attract more Australian investors to Kenya, positioning the country as a preferred destination for foreign investment.
He also called on Australia to open its markets to Kenyan exports in order to address the current trade imbalance, which favours Australia.
“I thanked the Australian government for giving Kenyan students an opportunity to study and earn a living in their country,” Mudavadi noted, adding that Kenya’s well-educated and youthful population presents a strong human resource base that could contribute to Australia’s economic growth.
The meeting also covered maritime security, where both countries agreed to cooperate in ensuring the safety of the Indian Ocean, which carries nearly a third of global container traffic.
Mudavadi and Thistlethwaite also discussed expanding investment in the blue economy, recognizing the Indian Ocean’s central role in regional prosperity and sustainability.
Mudavadi revealed that Kenya is keen to elevate its relations with Australia to the level of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) in the future, reflecting the growing importance of trade and investment links between the two countries.
The bilateral discussions mark a renewed commitment to enhancing cooperation between Nairobi and Canberra, building on decades of friendship and shared values in governance, economic development, and multilateral collaboration.