Tanzania President Visits Kenya in Bid to Improve Relations

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu has arrived in Kenya at the start of a two-day state visit, which is seen as a move aimed at ending frosty relations between the two countries.

She is expected to speak publicly alongside host President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House in the capital, Nairobi and will also address a joint sitting of the country’s parliament on Wednesday.

The visit is seen as an effort to improve relations between the two east African countries, fuelled by economic competition and which escalated under the administration of the late Tanzanian President John Magufuli who died in office in March.

Kenya had also been uneasy over Tanzania’s lack of a Covid-19 response plan. Failure to agree on Covid-19 protocols at border points led the two countries to impose tariffs on each other’s goods. In retaliation, Tanzania barred four Kenya airlines, including Kenya Airways, from its airspace.

However, since she took office President Samia has shifted the approach to Covid-19, picking a task force to advise on Tanzania’s response to the pandemic.