Uhuru Kenyatta, Macron meet as Paris courts east Africa

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his French counterpart President Emmanuel Macron have met in Paris where they discussed several bilateral and multilateral subjects of mutual interest to Kenya and France.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his French counterpart President Emmanuel Macron have met in Paris where they discussed several bilateral and multilateral subjects of mutual interest to Kenya and France.

Kenyatta was also a guest at an international forum on gender equality hosted by Macron on Wednesday.

He decried the rising cases of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Africa, saying the situation had reached global emergency levels.

“Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation and turned Gender-Based Violence into a global emergency. Emerging data indicates a surge of at least 25% in violence against women around the world,” Kenyatta said, according to a statement released by the presidency.

He said GBV was a challenge that affected over 36% of women aged between 15 and 49 years across the globe.

Kenyatta said Africa had recorded a spike in gender-related violence in the last year, adding that Kenya was committed to ending the problem by tightening its policies.

“…Kenya has made significant progress in addressing Gender-Based Violence. I have made a personal commitment to end Female Genital Mutilation during my tenure and to end all forms of Gender-Based Violence by 2030 as envisioned in the Sustainable Development Goals,” Kenyatta said.

During a meeting on Thursday, Kenyatta and Macron discussed several bilateral and multilateral subjects of mutual interest to Kenya and France.

This came as Paris was working to increase its presence in eastern Africa.

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Picture: Getty Images 

Compiled by Betha Madhomu

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