TALKING POINTS FOR USE
BY
H.E UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H.,
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA
AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE
DEFENCE FORCES
ON
THE OCCASION OF THE COMMISSIONING
CEREMONY OF THE CARICOM DIPLOMATIC
OFFICE
TWO RIVERS OFFICE COMPLEX,
NAIROBI
21st JUNE 2022
Hon. Dr. Jerome X. Walcott, Minister for
Foreign Affairs, Republic of Barbados,
Dr. Carla Barnet, Secretary General,
Caribbean Community,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Evening,
1. First, I take this early opportunity to
welcome you, Hon. Jerome Walcott, Foreign Affairs
Minister of Barbados; to Nairobi, Kenya.
2. I am most delighted to join you in this
auspicious occasion. Nothing gives me greater joy
than to participate in occasions where we are
fulfilling promises made to our people and our
partners. The Commissioning of the CARICOM
Diplomatic Office in Nairobi is, indeed, one such
event.
3.It is a fulfilment of a promise I made
during my visit to Barbados in 2019, to secure a
home for the Caribbean Community in Kenya.
This is a promise of historic significance in that it
will forge closer people-to-people ties between
Africa and CARICOM.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
4. Africa has been separated from the
Caribbean region, not just by the Atlantic Ocean,
but by centuries of few interactions despite our
shared common descent and history.
5. But I am proud to state, Kenya and
Barbados have been at the forefront in
fostering linkages between Africa and the Caribbean
countries. At the initiative of Kenya, the 33rd
Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU
Heads of State and Government held in Addis
Ababa, in February 2020 adopted a Declaration on
‘‘Promoting Closer Collaboration and
Cooperation between the African Union, the
African Diaspora and People of African
Descent in the Caribbean and Pacific
Regions.’’
6. As a follow-up to the AU Declaration, Kenya
hosted the First Africa-CARICOM Summit
virtually on 7
th September 2021. We agreed to
hold the annual Africa-CARICOM Summit on
September 7th every year. Indeed, we are
pleased to note that Barbados has offered to
host the next Summit in September this year.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
7. The commissioning of the CARICOM
Diplomatic Office here in Nairobi demonstrates what
can be achieved when people come together with a
shared vision and common purpose. This
Diplomatic Office will be a launch pad into the rest
of Africa as Caribbean governments set out to
deepen relations with their African counterparts.
8. Further, CARICOM representation in Nairobi
will provide a platform for African States and
Multilateral Organisations hosted here in Nairobi, to
interact with the Caribbean Community with ease.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
9. As you are aware, Nairobi hosts the global
headquarters of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the
United Nations Human Settlements
Programme (UN-Habitat). The establishment of
the CARICOM Office in Nairobi gives proximity to
these leading environment agencies, which should
make it easier to pursue one of the top priority
issues for CARICOM member states, notably
environment and climate change.
10. Hon. Minister, I want to thank the
CARICOM member states through you, for
choosing Kenya as the host for your
diplomatic mission and the CARICOM Offices.
I am confident our continued engagement will
strengthen South-South cooperation, promote
the interests of the global South and advance PanAfricanism.
11. As I conclude, I wish to reiterate Kenya’s
commitment to open a consulate in Barbados
fairly soon.
12. With those few remarks, it is now my
distinguished pleasure to declare the CARICOM
office in Nairobi, officially commissioned.
