NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 18— India’s new High Commissioner to Kenya, Dr. Adarsh Swaika, has said that the mission would prioritize expanding cooperation in new and high-technology areas, strengthening cultural ties, and promoting youth exchanges as part of efforts to deepen bilateral partnership.
Speaking Thursday in his first media briefing since assuming office, Swaika, said New Delhi views Nairobi as one of its most important partners in the region, with relations that are “historic, time-tested and rooted in extensive people-to-people ties.”
He noted that New Delhi and Nairobi are strengthening a broad-based partnership rooted in shared history and expanding cooperation in trade, investment, defence and people-to-people ties.
“Our relationship today is driven by strong strategic, economic and developmental cooperation,” Swaika said Thursday, adding that the foundations of the partnership stretch back more than two millennia through Indian Ocean trade links between the Indian subcontinent and the Swahili coast.
He recalled the construction of the Mombasa–Uganda railway in the late 19th century by more than 32,000 Indian workers, many of whom later settled in Kenya and contributed to the growth of cities such as Mombasa, Nairobi and Kisumu.
He also highlighted the often-overlooked role of more than 40,000 Indian soldiers who served in East Africa during World War One, a shared sacrifice commemorated earlier this year with the unveiling of a Joint India–Africa memorial pillar in Taita Taveta.
Swaika said Indians and Kenyans of Indian origin also played an important role in Kenya’s freedom struggle, citing figures such as trade unionist Makhan Singh and journalist and freedom fighter Pio Gama Pinto, who worked closely with independence leaders including Jomo Kenyatta.
“That shared history of sacrifice and struggle gives our relationship its strength,” he said.
He pointed to recent high-level exchanges as evidence of growing political trust, including visits by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kenya in 2016 and Kenyan President William Ruto to India in 2023.
Ministerial and official-level engagements have intensified in sectors ranging from defence and health to digital technologies, agriculture and education.
He noted that India is currently Kenya’s third-largest trading partner, with annual bilateral trade of about $3.5 billion, Swaika said.
Kenyan exports to India have risen by nearly 80% over the past year, while close to 200 Indian companies operate in Kenya across manufacturing, telecommunications, banking, pharmaceuticals and consumer goods, employing tens of thousands of Kenyans.
Indian firms such as Tata, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Airtel and several pharmaceutical manufacturers have established a long-term presence, while the Export–Import Bank of India last year relocated its East Africa representative office from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, underscoring Kenya’s role as a regional hub.
Defence and security cooperation has also expanded into training, peacekeeping, maritime engagement and medical support, Swaika said, noting collaboration between Kenya’s International Peace Support Training Centre and India’s Centre for UN Peacekeeping. India has made more than 35 naval and coast guard port calls to Kenya since 2010 and recently commissioned a CT scan facility at the Kenya Navy Hospital in Mombasa on a grant basis.
The partnership has extended to humanitarian assistance, he added, citing India’s response to Kenya’s floods in May 2024 and the supply of more than one million COVID-19 vaccine doses during the pandemic.
Beyond economics and security, Swaika emphasized the importance of education, healthcare and cultural links.
India offers about 400 fully funded scholarships and training slots to Kenyans each year, while nearly 10,000 Kenyans travelled to India for medical treatment this year.
He added that India has also simplified its visa regime, issuing around 21,000 visas to Kenyan citizens so far in 2025, most through an online system.
Kenya is home to an Indian diaspora estimated at 80,000 to 100,000 people, formally recognized in 2017 as the country’s 44th tribe. Indian culture, including films, television and yoga, remains popular across Kenya, while Indian tourist arrivals reached about 133,000 last year, making India the fifth-largest source market.
Looking ahead, Swaika said India’s long-term development vision, “Viksit Bharat 2047,” aligns closely with Kenya’s Vision 2030, creating scope for cooperation in manufacturing, renewable energy, digital services and youth employment.
“Both emphasize industrialization, job creation, digital transformation, clean energy, and human development,” Swaika said.
“This alignment creates significant scope for cooperation in manufacturing, renewable energy, digital services, healthcare, education, agribusiness, and youth employment.”
