Combined images of (From L to R) Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary, and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi.
In a statement, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the discussions focused on coordination ahead of the summit and the upcoming meeting of the Steering Committee of Heads of State and Government of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), which Egypt currently chairs.
FM Abdelatty said relations between Egypt and Kenya are gaining momentum, as reflected in recent high-level exchanges, and stressed the need to build on this progress to broaden cooperation in line with the two countries’ shared interests.
He highlighted the importance of strengthening economic, trade, and investment relations, calling for increased trade, support for mutual investments, and greater involvement by Egyptian companies in the Kenyan market, particularly in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, and industry.
He also expressed Egypt’s hope that Kenya would benefit from the financing mechanism for development projects in Nile Basin countries that Egypt launched last year, noting its role in supporting development priorities and regional cooperation.
On capacity building, Abdelatty pointed to ongoing cooperation through training programmes provided by Egyptian national institutions, the Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development, and the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding. These programmes aim to support national professionals and strengthen stability and security.
The two ministers agreed to maintain close coordination and consultation on issues of mutual interest and to continue working together to support peace, security, stability, and development across Africa, the ministry added.
Kenya supports the right of upstream countries to pursue development along the Nile while promoting basin-wide cooperation and African-led solutions. It favours equitable water-use arrangements rather than the historic Nile water agreements, in line with its long-standing policy.
As an upstream country within the White Nile system through Lake Victoria and its tributaries, Kenya has supported the principle of equitable and reasonable use of Nile waters. Nairobi has signed and ratified the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA), also known as the Entebbe Agreement, which seeks to create a new legal framework for managing the river and does not recognize the 1929 and 1959 Nile water agreements upheld by Egypt and Sudan.
Kenya has consistently called for multilateral engagement through regional mechanisms, including the Nile Basin Initiative, urging dialogue, information-sharing, and joint development projects among Nile Basin countries rather than unilateral actions.
While generally aligned with upstream countries’ calls for greater flexibility in water use, Kenya has avoided direct involvement in disputes over Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). It has not taken a confrontational stance in related negotiations.
Instead, Kenyan officials have stressed the need for African Union-led processes and technical cooperation to resolve differences among Nile Basin countries.
At the same time, Nairobi has sought to maintain balanced relations with downstream countries, particularly Egypt, often separating Nile-related principles from broader bilateral relations.
The phone call also followed comments made by Abdelatty in early January, when he warned that Egypt would not accept the construction of new dams on the Nile without prior agreement and full respect for international law.
In a televised interview at the time, Abdelatty described water security as an existential issue for Egypt, stressing that the country “will not relinquish a single drop” of its recognized water rights.
He said Egypt is pursuing a comprehensive approach that includes political, legal, diplomatic, economic, and commercial tools to protect its interests, adding that Cairo has no disputes with Nile Basin countries except Ethiopia in the Eastern Nile Basin.
Abdelatty also referred to recent developments within the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), describing them as a diplomatic breakthrough. He said talks had resumed on the long-stalled CFA, which is intended to transform the NBI into a permanent Nile Basin Commission.
He noted that negotiations had previously stalled due to differences between Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea, which sought stronger safeguards for downstream countries, and a group led by Ethiopia advocating terms Egypt considers unacceptable.
A ministerial meeting held in Burundi in December 2025 brought the two sides together for the first time in years, Abdelatty said, resulting in agreement by seven countries to reopen the 2010 framework to discuss possible amendments addressing downstream concerns.
“If consensus is reached, Egypt will return strongly to the initiative and support its transformation into a Nile Water Commission,” Abdelatty noted, adding that Egypt’s position remains unchanged. “Our basic principle is clear: Egypt cannot compromize or neglect its water rights.”
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