This archive report was first published on 6 July 2019.
On a two-day private visit to Northern Tanzania, President Uhuru Kenyatta called on East Africans to unite in order to develop a prosperous region.
Speaking to thousands of Chato town residents, President Kenyatta emphasized the importance of removing barriers to the free movement of people across borders, saying East Africans are one people with a shared heritage and a common destiny.
He cautioned political leaders against making inflammatory remarks, warning that no one would be allowed to sow seeds of division among East Africans.
President Kenyatta's visit was at the invitation of President John Pombe Magufuli, who thanked him for the private visit and hailed it as a historic moment for being the first Head of State to visit Chato.
President Magufuli also highlighted the growing trade between the two neighboring nations, noting that Kenyans own 504 companies in Tanzania worth 1.7 billion US dollars, compared to 24 Tanzanian companies in Kenya worth 189 million US dollars.
He added that Tanzanian tourists visiting Kenya were 222,216 in 2018, accounting for 10 percent of the over 2 million visitors who visited the country, making Tanzania Kenya's second largest tourist source market after the United States of America.
President Magufuli called for concerted efforts by both countries to promote trade, implementation of regional infrastructure, and people-to-people interactions.
