Kenya and the Slovak Republic are accelerating discussions on cooperation to enhance cyber and energy security by supporting infrastructure projects and diversifying supply sources, the visiting Deputy Prime Minister Tomáš Taraba of Slovakia has said.
Taraba who was attending the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly said Kenya needs stability in the two sectors to realize sustainable development.
The Slovakian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Environment wrapped up his four-day official tour of Kenya with a meeting with President William Ruto at Statehouse Nairobi.
During their meeting, the two leaders discussed ways of widening the scope of the Kenya-Slovakia ties, especially on climate change, for the prosperity of the two countries.
“Environment is a global issue that countries must work together to harness efforts and ideas to reduce the negative impact of global warming. The more we converse about climate crisis, the more the possibility of our success,” said President Ruto
The Slovakian DPM later held a press briefing before he flew back home, issuing further details of his meeting with Ruto. Taraba disclosed that Nairobi and Bratislava had agreed, among other things, to establish a mechanism where Slovakia would assist Kenya in fighting cyber crimes.
“We are very strong in cyber security. That is why we have signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Interior because when you want to be a successful economy, you have to be safe and stable.” Said the deputy prime minister
He said that Slovakia has an admirable track record in handling cyber-related threats, citing excellent companies in the market that can deal with all kinds of activities in the cyber security realm, and will therefore offer much-needed assistance to Kenya in this regard.
“We have signed an MOU of cyber and this is very important to be protected when you are going online. You need cyber security from energy to the business to public sector to healthcare. We proposed so many software projects that we are already implementing in Slovakia and you don’t need to build them from scratch. You can just only take them and use them. It’s very effective and much cheaper.” He said
At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that his country is eager to provide solutions to boost Kenya’s electricity requirements, especially through clean energy sources.
“We also discussed the stability of the grid system. When you want to transform your economy, you have to have a stable grid system. Slovakia belongs to the countries with the cleanest production of electricity. In 2023, we completely phased out coal. We are strong in nuclear energy. Renewable is a very clear pathway but you have to count on a stable grid system for the whole economy. These are the discussions we will have going into the future,”
Besides the two areas, he disclosed that the Slovak Republic will provide technical to Kenya to promote modern agricultural practices. He said this amid a pledge to open up Slovakian universities to more Kenyans to study food and water management.
“We want to specialize mainly in cooperation on the management of water because it is crucial for Kenya to avoid droughts and floods. Slovakia has one of the biggest hydropower plants in Europe. We have good professionals and we are ready to provide our expertise in this regard,” averred the Slovak DPM
Taraba reiterated; “We want to see Kenya as a successful country. This dialogue will open another possibility of the cooperation,”
