On 30 July 2025, Kenya signed eight new agreements with Uganda during President Yoweri Museveni’s official visit to Nairobi. The agreements build on 17 existing ones and are aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and driving economic development.
The new memoranda of understanding cover tourism, development of the Greater Busia Metro, mining, fisheries, agriculture, livestock, transport, standards and quality assurance, and investment promotion.
The agreement on transport and logistics is designed to modernise systems and improve the movement of people and goods. Kenya also outlined plans to extend the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Malaba and into Uganda, alongside the dualling of the Nairobi–Nakuru–Mau Summit road, which will also reach Malaba.
On standards and quality assurance, collaboration between the Kenya Bureau of Standards and the Uganda National Bureau of Standards is expected to enhance trade and eliminate illicit or sub-standard goods. The agriculture and livestock MoU aims to strengthen cooperation in veterinary services and crop health, while the fisheries agreement seeks to unlock the potential of the blue economy.
The Greater Busia Metro Project will focus on joint infrastructure and development programmes across both sides of the border. In mining, the two countries will work together on responsible mineral exploitation, institutional capacity, and cross-border smuggling, while the tourism agreement will support joint marketing, cultural exchange, and eco-tourism.
The leaders also discussed cross-border challenges, including the Migingo fishing issue, and ongoing negotiations on a Cross-Border Resource Sharing Agreement. Trade concerns were raised over non-tariff barriers affecting farmers and small traders, with the upcoming Joint Ministerial Commission Mid-Term Review and Joint Trade Committee meeting in October 2025 expected to address these challenges.
Both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional institutions and advancing East African Community objectives, including the Customs Union, Common Market, Monetary Union, and Political Federation.
A major industrial initiative was also announced, with Kenya and Uganda agreeing to establish the region’s largest steel factory, aimed at reducing reliance on imports and boosting exports.
