Israeli Minister for Justice Ayelet Shaked yesterday paid a courtesy call to Interior and Coordination of National Government Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i at his Harambee House office.Ayelet is on an official visit to Kenya seeking to bolster bilateral relations between the two friendly nations with a cooperation history spanning decades.
During yesterday’s deliberations, Ayelet noted that Israel and Kenya enjoys cordial relations and cooperation in various sectors such as public security, agriculture, medicine and information technology.“The shared experiences and challenges have greatly strengthened the bond between the two countries,” said CS Matiang’i.
The visiting minister also held talks with top government officials in Justice and Security sectors.She also met with Deputy President William Ruto.The 41 years old minister is a computer engineer and a former member of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) who was appointed Minister for Justice in 2015.
She expressed her government’s willingness to explore new areas of collaboration.Matiang’i observed that Kenya and Israeli shared similar security challenges more so from the scourge of terrorism.He lauded the Israeli Government for providing training to assorted security personnel from Kenya as well the country’s support in strategic security engagements.
Ayelet was accompanied by her Chief of Staff Yair Hirsh, her spokesperson Pinhas Wolf, the Israeli Chief Public Defender Yoar Sapir, the Israeli Ambassador to Kenya Noah Gal and his deputy Michael Baror.On Wednesday evening, Ayelet also visited the Synagogue along University Way as part of her official visit in the country.
Last year in November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his official state visit to Kenya pledged to work with Kenya to fight drought, terrorism, and improve the quality of export cash crops.
He also made a passionate appeal to Uhuru Kenyatta and other African leaders to absorb Israel to an observer status at the African Union as the security powerhouse seeks to penetrate even more into Africa, a continent it says has great potential.