President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday held talks with Prince William Arthur, the Duke of Cambridge, who paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi.
Their one-on-one meeting mainly focused on wildlife conservation.
CONFERENCE
The Duke of Cambridge, who was accompanied by the British High Commissioner to Kenya, Nic Hailey, briefed President Kenyatta on the Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference that will be held in London on October 11 and 12.
Prince William’s meeting with President Kenyatta concludes a seven-day tour of Africa that saw him visit Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya.
The prince is the patron of the Royal African Society, a long-standing institution dedicated to promoting Africa in the UK.
He is also the president of United for Wildlife, an organisation which fights illegal trade in wildlife, as well as the patron of Tusk, a UK-base charity organisation which promotes wildlife conservation in Africa.
The deaths of elephants, rhinos and other animals have been a blow to Kenya’s tourism industry, which is one of the highest earners.
Poaching remains a big threat though the government has taken steps such as the use of sniffer and tracker dogs and the heavy punishment of offenders.
In March, Kenya boosted its war on ivory trade by signing a petition for the European Union (EU) to ban ivory trade and close markets.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko signed the petition on behalf of President Uhuru Kenyatta at a ceremony held in Kasane, Botswana.
Kenya joined 32 African countries that signed the petition.