Havana — President Uhuru Kenyatta today concluded his historic State visit to the Caribbean nation of Cuba that was sharply focused on health, trade and heritage.
President Kenyatta departed Jose Marti International airport aboard a commercial aircraft shortly after midnight (7 am Sunday Kenyan time), after getting back on track a wide-ranging health agreement signed earlier but never implemented.
There were also quick wins in sports and agriculture.
Kenya will bring in 100 medical specialists – with each county getting at least two — and dispatch 50 doctors to Cuba for specialised training.
Cuban coaches will also come in to train Kenya’s boxing team, while Kenyan long distance running coaches will become part of the set-up the other way.
The Council of Governors is supporting President Kenyatta’s agenda on health.
The President’s entourage, Foreign CS Amb Dr Monica Juma, Sports CS Rashid Achesa, Health CAS Rashid Aman and senior adviser Ruth Kagia have been busy tidying up agreements because the President wants to see a matrix of deliverables for this and every engagement.
Governors Mohamud Mohamed Ali (Marsabit) and Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu) say they have failed to hire especially specialists who are reluctant to work in counties a distance from Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu or Eldoret.
Mohamed and Nyong’o agreed on the need to accelerate the programme so expert medical care is brought within reach of ordinary Kenyans.
“What we discovered is that Cubans are very concerned and very dedicated to research and have a very strong research department and they have had many firsts, they have eliminated malaria from the face of Cuba all together,” said the Marsabit Governor.He said Cuba’s philosophy of giving priority to human development is a sure way to prosperity.
“They achieved all this not only because of the embargo from the US but also because of their own philosophy that human beings are the first item on the agenda for development. Once you get that equation correct others will follow. I think I could summarize this way, I have seen the future and it works,” Governor Nyong’o said from Havana.