President William Ruto on Thursday said the United States (US) has overtaken United Kingdom (UK) as Kenya’s premier trading partner.

Speaking during Mashujaa Day celebrations, Ruto said the UK had held the position for a long time.

“We also remain devoted to our strategic engagements with key development partners like the United States, which is now Kenya’s premier trading partner, as well as the United Kingdom – which for long held that position – the European Union, Middle Eastern nations, the Far East, including China and Japan, and, indeed, many other parts of the world,” the President said.

He further said Kenya will continue to pursue a robust policy of economic diplomacy.

“We are continuously aligning our strategic interests with the welfare of our people. Therefore, we are focused on finding opportunities for our people and deeper trade relations around the globe.

“We are receiving encouraging returns on our efforts. This week, our international port at Lamu scored a shining first, with the export of livestock from northern Kenya to the Sultanate of Oman,” he stated.

Ruto on blue economy

The President also said Kenya is prepared to exploit the potential of the blue economy and the fast-evolving digital universe to position the young generation as competitive global players.

Ruto stated that Kenya will join other nations of the Global South to advocate democratisation of global governance, and to invest in the multilateral system with higher moral imagination.

“To effectively drive our diplomacy and international engagement, Kenya has unified and clarified its policy in our Vision 2030 and our government’s 5-Pillar Plan for socio-economic transformation, the 5th East African Community Development Strategy, AU Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“The purpose of this alignment is to ensure that we forge a path for the achievement of our objectives of enhancing the well-being of humanity,” he added.