Kenya and Cyprus are seeking to revive a series of bilateral agreements and cooperation initiatives that have yet to translate into concrete outcomes.
The latest push came during a meeting on Tuesday between Kenya's Diplomatic Affairs director general, Amb Josphat Maikara, and Cyprus High Commissioner Nicholaos Manolis.
The two sides agreed to establish follow-up mechanisms across government ministries and agencies to accelerate implementation of outstanding commitments, more than a year after the two countries stepped up efforts to deepen diplomatic and economic relations.
The discussions focused on finalising pending legal instruments and memoranda of understanding (MoUs), expanding trade and investment, educational scholarships and diplomatic capacity building.
“The two diplomats reviewed progress in key areas of bilateral cooperation, focusing on the implementation of outcomes from political consultations, finalisation of pending legal instruments and Memoranda of Understanding, and the expansion of trade, investment, diplomatic capacity building and educational scholarship opportunities,” Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The renewed engagement follows a series of agreements and commitments made since July 2025, when Cyprus opened its High Commission in Nairobi.
During the visit of Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to Nairobi in July 2025, the two countries signed an MoU on Political and Diplomatic Consultations to establish a framework for structured dialogue and regular engagement.
They also identified several areas for cooperation, including higher education and research, agriculture and livestock development, maritime affairs, tourism and labour mobility.
The two governments committed to fast-track pending agreements in higher education and research, agriculture and livestock development, and a Bilateral Air Services Agreement. They also agreed to begin work on a bilateral agreement to avoid double taxation.
Two months later, Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi and Kombos signed another MoU on agricultural cooperation on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, covering smart agriculture, sustainability, innovation and support for farmers, particularly women and young people.
The two sides also agreed to establish a joint technical committee to address low trade volumes, identify barriers and promote investment between the two countries.
However, the October meeting suggests that the two governments are still working to move several of these commitments towards implementation.
The trade agenda remains particularly important given the relatively small commercial relationship between the two countries.
In 2023, Kenya exported goods worth $3.95 million to Cyprus, mainly fruit juice, cut flowers and processed fruits and nuts, while imports from the Mediterranean island stood at $2.46 million, comprising mainly packaged medicines, computers and fruit juice.
During the September 2025 discussions, Mudavadi described the trade volumes as low and called for greater engagement between the two countries' business communities.
Kenya sees Cyprus as a potential gateway to the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in shipping, tourism and financial services, while Nairobi offers Cypriot businesses access to the East African Community and the wider African Continental Free Trade Area market.
The aviation agreement is another area where progress will be important. The proposed Bilateral Air Services Agreement is intended to provide a framework for air connectivity between the two countries, facilitating travel, tourism and business exchanges.
Education is also among the outstanding priorities, with both governments having expressed interest in expanding scholarships, academic exchanges and research partnerships.
Kenya's Ministry of Education announced Cyprus Aid scholarships for the 2025-26 academic year in partnership with the Cyprus University of Technology, offering opportunities for Kenyan students in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
The latest meeting comes as the Foreign Affairs Ministry seeks to strengthen accountability in the implementation of international commitments, following a broader review of diplomatic engagements launched in June.
The review, led by the ministry's political and diplomatic affairs directorate, seeks to track agreements from negotiation to implementation and assess their contribution to investment, employment, technology transfer and development.
