Reception with Irish Community, NGOs and Business Representatives.
During Minister Coveney's visit to Kenya in November he attended a reception with the Irish Community, NGOs and Business Representatives.
There are currently (approx.) 1,500 Irish citizens resident in Kenya. These are spread out over many professions including missionaries, non-government organizations, and business.
Many Kenyans have benefitted from the Irish presence. President Uhuru Kenyatta, for example, received his secondary education at St Mary's College in Nairobi – a school founded and managed by the Irish Holy Ghost Fathers for many years.
Many other Kenyans have benefitted from other schools founded by Irish Missionaries – including St Patrick's College in Iten founded by the Irish Patrician brothers and the Loreto Schools (such as Limuru and Msongari) which were founded by the Irish Loreto Sisters. The Mater Hospital and Strathmore College in Nairobi were also established with the benefit of Irish support.
In December 2016, during the visit of Minister Joe McHugh, the Minister and the First Lady of Kenya, Margaret Kenyatta, launched an exhibition 100 Years – the Irish in Kenya which was initiated by the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya but was developed by a hard working Steering Committee comprised of members of the Kenya Irish Society. While the exhibition, necessarily, just gives a snapshot of the Irish presence in Kenya over 100 years - every effort has been made to ensure that it presents a balanced and representative overview. The Exhibition has toured Ireland visiting many parts of the country including Dublin; Belmullet, County Mayo; and Tralee, County Kerry.
The Kenya Irish Society (KIS) is a very active society and, in conjunction with the Embassy, holds regular events including a Lá lé Bríde event, the annual St. Patrick's Day Ball, an Annual Table Quiz, a Christmas Carol event and an annual Christmas Dinner and also golf outings.
There are is a growing presence of Irish businesses in Kenya who are working closely with local counterparts in innovative areas.
In the agriculture sector we have companies such as MagGrow that is using Kenya as a launch pad for its innovative Irish agriculture technology in the region. IPM Potato Group has been working with Kevian Kenya on potato seed production and just today expanded their partnership scope. Norbrook and Bimeda have been established in the market for a while and are looking at new business relationships with Kenyan and Irish counterparts and Hermitage Genetics has been working with Farmers Choice on pig genetics. In healthcare, Vitro Software, Nairobi Hospital and Savannah informatics will sign a business agreement on Wednesday 8th November. We also have Irish organizations like ECDL that have been focused on digital literacy contributing to the growth of the Kenya ICT sector. On the Education side of things Griffith College and Riara University are to formalized a student's exchange programme. This is evidence that there is great potential for deeper trade links between Ireland and Kenya.
There is also a large NGO footprint represented in Kenya, including Concern Worldwide, Trócaire, Action Aid, Gorta Self Help Africa, Aidlink, World Vision and Front Line Defenders. All of whom are supported directly by Irish Aid or indirectly through Misean Cara.