Kenya and Rwanda have signed 11 bilateral agreements covering areas including immigration, diaspora affairs, local governance, water and irrigation, conservation, housing, urban development, culture and justice.
The agreements were signed during the ministerial segment of the 10th Session of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation (JPCC) held in Nairobi from October 5 to 6.
Kenya’s delegation was led by Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi, while Rwanda’s delegation was led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Usta Kaitesi.
Mudavadi reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Rwanda in trade and investment, infrastructure, transport and logistics, ICT, tourism and East African Community integration.
He emphasized the importance of facilitating the movement of people, goods, services and capital across the EAC, while also highlighting arrangements concerning property for the two countries’ diplomatic and logistics interests.
The Kenyan minister also pointed to Rwanda’s recent arrival of its first 40,000-tonne bulk petroleum cargo through the Port of Mombasa as an example of growing economic and regional supply-chain links.
Kaitesi described Kenya and Rwanda as longstanding strategic partners and said cooperation had expanded beyond traditional areas to include diplomacy, security and defence, education, transport, logistics, trade and investment.
She said Rwanda imported goods worth more than $398 million from Kenya in 2025, while Rwanda’s exports to Kenya stood at about $5.3 million, highlighting room for further expansion in bilateral trade.
The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in defence and security, agriculture, tourism, ICT, education, health and private-sector engagement.
Rwanda welcomed Kenya’s role in advancing African Union institutional reforms and reaffirmed its commitment to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and regional integration through the Northern Corridor.
To ensure implementation, the countries agreed on timelines for following up on the commitments through technical committees. A mid-term review of the JPCC outcomes is scheduled to take place in Kigali by October 2027, while the 11th JPCC is planned for October 2028.
The latest agreements build on discussions at the JPCC, which is used by the two governments to review bilateral relations, address implementation challenges and identify new areas of cooperation.
The agreements come as Kenya and Rwanda seek to translate longstanding political ties into greater trade, investment, regional connectivity and economic cooperation within the East African Community.
