Kenya and Rwanda signed 11 bilateral agreements covering sectors such as security, immigration, justice, housing, water, diaspora affairs and others, following a prior pact on petroleum product supply through the Northern Corridor.

The accords were concluded during the 10th session of the Kenya‑Rwanda Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation (JPCC) held in Nairobi from 5 to 6 October 2026.

A diaspora‑affairs agreement aims to deepen engagement with citizens living abroad and to harness diaspora contributions to national development.

An immigration and local‑governance pact is set to improve coordination on the movement of people and cooperation between municipal authorities in both countries.

Security and justice provisions include enhanced cooperation between law‑enforcement agencies and a mutual legal‑assistance framework for criminal matters.

The agreements also create a formal mechanism for the transfer of sentenced persons, allowing convicted individuals to serve sentences across borders under a defined protocol.

A water‑resources and irrigation package, together with housing and urban‑development cooperation, seeks to share expertise for managing rapidly growing towns and cities.

Additional accords cover conservation, culture and heritage, broadening the partnership beyond trade to environmental and cultural collaboration.

The broader framework also addresses trade and investment, infrastructure, transport, logistics, ICT, tourism and East African Community integration, though Kenya noted it was omitted from certain EAC facilitation measures.

Rwanda’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Usta Kaitesi, reported that Rwanda imported goods worth over KSh51.62 billion from Kenya in 2025, while Kenyan exports to Rwanda were about KSh687.4 million.

Technical committees from both sides will monitor implementation, with a mid‑term review scheduled for Kigali by October 2027.