On December 6, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation Sergey Katyrin met with the Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Russia Peter Mutuku Matuki.
Kenya is among the top ten trading partners of Russia on the African continent; in 2023, Russian-Kenyan trade turnover increased almost twofold compared to the previous year. Sergey Katyrin drew attention to this during the meeting.
"We are ready to strengthen cooperation. The growth of trade turnover between our countries shows stable dynamics," the President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation said.
At the same time, he expressed confidence that there is potential for further development of business contacts.
"Unfortunately, today Russian businesses do not know much about the procedure for doing business in Kenya. I believe that the first thing we have to work on is information exchange," Sergey Katyrin noted.
The head of the Chamber acquainted the Kenyan guest with the main tasks of the CCI system in the Russian Federation. Thus, territorial chambers of commerce and industry can facilitate the establishment of business ties between Kenyan enterprises and potential partners in Russia. The RF CCI Congress Center regularly hosts presentations of Russian regions, which are broadcast online, making it possible for representatives of other countries to participate remotely.
Speaking about in-person participation, Sergey Katyrin suggested that Kenya attend not only economic forums held in Russia, but also large industry exhibitions. For example, the largest food exhibition in Eastern Europe, Prodexpo-2025, will be held in Moscow from February 3 to 7. The head of the Chamber expressed his readiness to assist in establishing contacts between Kenyan entrepreneurs and the organizer of the exhibition, Expocentre JSC (a subsidiary of the RF CCI).
For Kenyan Ambassador Peter Mutuku Matuka, the visit to the RF CCI was one of his first business meetings. He began working in Russia in early November.
"My visit to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry confirms the intention to develop our cooperation, especially in the area of business contacts," emphasized Peter Mutuku Matuki.
As the Ambassador noted, there is no doubt that Russia and Kenya will work together.
"There is great potential in the interaction between Russia and Kenya. The advantage of business is the absence of barriers: when meeting, business people can always find common ground," added the Ambassador of Kenya.
Peter Mutuku Matuki drew attention to the strategically advantageous geopolitical position of Kenya: the country is a member of the East African Community (EAC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area.
"By cooperating with Kenya, you gain access to a market of 1.5 billion people," concluded Peter Mutuku Matuki.
The Ambassador of Kenya recalled the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kenya and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, which has been in effect since 2019. Given the large distance between the two countries, he proposed holding an online meeting of the Kenyan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Russian Chamber of Commerce in the near future and invited Sergey Katyrin to take part in it. In addition, the Kenyan Ambassador invited the Russian side to the summit of the Federation of African Chambers of Commerce, which will be held in Nairobi in early April 2025.
During the conversation, the President of the Chamber and the Kenyan Ambassador also touched upon a number of other pressing issues of Russian-Kenyan cooperation. The meeting was also attended by the Advisor to the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in Russia Gaudencia Chitayi Ayisi, Vice President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vladimir Padalko and Director of the Department of External Relations of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ilya Nesterov.
By Daniil Bordyugov,
Press Service of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
