President William Ruto of Kenya arrived in Dar es Salaam on 4 May 2026 for a two-day state visit to the United Republic of Tanzania, hosted by President Samia Suluhu Hassan. He was officially received with full military honours at State House, Dar es Salaam. The two leaders chaired official talks between their respective government delegations, followed by a joint press briefing.
Eight MoUs and Agreements
President Samia Suluhu Hassan and President William Ruto presided over the signing of eight Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) at State House, Dar es Salaam, on 4 May 2026. The agreements, concluded following bilateral talks between the two delegations, cover railway development and management; a feasibility study for a natural gas pipeline connecting Dar es Salaam and Mombasa; mutual legal assistance in criminal matters; agriculture cooperation; mutual recognition of seafarers’ certification; water sector collaboration; a standards partnership between the Zanzibar Bureau of Standards and its Kenyan counterpart; and a capacity-building arrangement between the public service training institutions of both countries to facilitate civil servant exchange programmes.
President Samia announced that both governments had agreed to jointly develop a standard gauge railway line from Tanga through Kilimanjaro to Taveta in Kenya, with a planned extension to Singida to strengthen trade and logistics connectivity. She added that cooperation on counter-terrorism and human trafficking would be expanded to address shared cross-border security concerns. President Ruto said the agreements would significantly broaden bilateral ties, stating: “Our robust bilateral relations are underpinned by a solid economic partnership. We continue to expand our ties as we explore new opportunities to strengthen our economies.”
On 5 May 2026, President Ruto travelled to Dodoma to address the Parliament of Tanzania, marking the first address to Tanzania’s parliament by a Kenyan president.
Non-Tariff Barriers and Trade Targets
According to official data from Tanzania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East Africa Cooperation, trade between the two countries stood at over USD 720 million in 2024. Foreign Direct Investment from Kenya into Tanzania between 2020 and 2024 totalled USD 297 million across 109 projects in sectors including banking, manufacturing, and telecommunications. Both governments set a deadline to eliminate all remaining non-tariff barriers by the end of May 2026, with the Joint Commission for Cooperation tasked with continuous review.
Collectively, Tanzania and Kenya account for about 40 per cent of intra-East African Community (EAC) trade and serve as key gateways for landlocked countries in the region to access global markets through their Indian Ocean ports.
Tanzania–Kenya Business Forum
The Tanzania–Kenya Business Forum 2026, themed “A Renewed Tapestry of Partnership,” brought together investors, business leaders, and government officials from both countries. At least 20 commercial agreements were expected to be concluded, alongside investment commitments estimated at approximately USD 500 million. Kenya’s High Commissioner to Tanzania, Catherine Karemu, stated that the forum ensured “the private sector remains central to expanding investment, driving job creation and sustaining shared prosperity between the two nations.”
