Republic of Kenya

Brazil established diplomatic relations with Kenya shortly after its independence in 1964, and opened a resident Embassy in Nairobi in 1967. Kenya opened an Embassy in Brasilia in 2006.

Starting in the 2000s, relations with Kenya gained renewed momentum. In 2005, the First Brazil-Kenya Joint Commission was held in Brasília. The following year, Kenya opened a resident Embassy in Brazil. In 2008, the Second Brazil-Kenya Joint Commission and the First Brazil-Kenya Political Consultations Meeting at the level of Secretaries were held, both in Nairobi. The second and third rounds of Political Consultations took place in 2018, in Nairobi and Brasília, respectively. The fourth edition of the mechanism was held in February 2021, via videoconference.

In 2010, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visited Nairobi, and agreements were signed in the areas of trade and investment, education, and energy. That same year, the visit to Brazil of the then Kenyan Foreign Minister, Moses Wetang'ula, fostered partnerships in the areas of air services and cultural cooperation. President Lula met with his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, in February 2024 in Addis Ababa, on the occasion of the African Union Summit. In August 2016, Kenya's Vice President William Ruto visited Brazil on the occasion of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

Brazil’s history of technical cooperativon with Kenya includes initiatives in the areas of elections, sports, the environment, agriculture, and health. Currently, two bilateral initiatives are underway in the cotton sector. In addition to technical cooperation, Brazil carries out initiatives in higher education, diplomat training, and military personnel training.

Since 2009, Brazil has provided humanitarian assistance to Kenya through donations of food, medicines, and funding for emergency projects totaling approximately $6 million. Between 2020 and 2022, Brazil provided humanitarian aid to Kenya to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, amounting to $150,000.

In 2024, trade between Brazil and Kenya totaled approximately $95 million (a 26% decrease compared to 2023). Brazilian exports to Kenya amounted to $94 million, with key products including sugar (13%), road vehicles (13%), and pig iron (11%). In contrast, imports totaled $1 million, mainly consisting of dye extracts (53%), mate (35%), and clothing (7%). The final trade balance was favorable to Brazil, with a surplus of $93.5 million.

Chronology of bilateral relations

2024 – President Lula meets with his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto, on the sidelines of the 37th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa (February)

2023 – Participation of Kenya’s Chief Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, in the inauguration ceremony of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (January)

2021 – Fourth Brazil–Kenya Political Consultations Meeting held via videoconference

2020 – Visit of a Kenyan parliamentary delegation to Brazil (March), focused on agricultural issues

2019 – Visit of a Kenyan parliamentary mission to Brazil (October) to learn about Brazil's experience with administrative decentralization, disaster management, electronic voting, and anti-corruption efforts

2018 – Third Political Consultations Meeting held during the visit of Kenya’s Secretary for Political and Diplomatic Affairs, Ambassador Tom Amolo, to Brazil (July)

2018 – Second Political Consultations Meeting held during the visit to Kenya by the Under-Secretary-General for Africa and the Middle East, Ambassador Fernando Abreu (April)

2015 – Vice President of Kenya, William Ruto, visits Brazil on the occasion of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games (August)

2015 – Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira takes part in the 10th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Nairobi (December 15–18)

2013 – President Dilma Rousseff meets with President Uhuru Kenyatta on the sidelines of the African Union Golden Jubilee celebrations

2012 – President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, visits Brazil as head of the Kenyan delegation to the Rio+20 Conference (June)

2012 – Brazil donates 10,000 tons of food to refugees in camps in Kenya through the World Food Programme (WFP) (May)

2011 – ABC technical mission is sent to Nairobi to assess cooperation possibilities

2010 – Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetang'ula visits Brazil (September)

2010 – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva visits Nairobi—the first visit by a Brazilian Head of State to Kenya

2010 – Visit to Brazil by Kenyan parliamentarians and representatives from the Privatization Commission of Kenya’s Ministry of Finance (March)

2009 – Mission of Brazilian football coaches to train Kenyan professionals (September)

2008 – Visit to Brazil by Kenya’s Minister of Social Affairs (August)

2008 – First Brazil–Kenya Political Consultations Meeting

2008 – Second Brazil–Kenya Joint Commission held in Nairobi

2007 – Visit to Kenya by Brazilian Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva

2006 – Visit to Brazil by Kenya’s Minister of Tourism and Wildlife

2006 – Opening of the Embassy of Kenya in Brasília

2005 – Signing of Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Brazil–Kenya Political Consultations Mechanism

2005 – Signing of Sports Cooperation Agreement

2005 – First Brazil–Kenya Joint Commission held in Brasília

2005 – Visit to Kenya by Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim

2001 – Brazil donates antiretroviral medications to Kenya

1995 – Visit to Brazil by Kenyan Foreign Minister Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka

1992 – President Daniel Arap Moi visits Brazil (Rio-92)

1975 – Visit to Brazil by Kenya’s Minister of Foreign Affairs

1974 – Brazilian diplomatic mission in Kenya elevated to Embassy status

1973 – Signing of Technical Cooperation Agreement

1973 – Signing of Cultural Exchange Agreement

1973 – Visit to Kenya by Brazilian Foreign Minister Mário Gibson Barbosa

1967 – Brazil establishes diplomatic mission in Nairobi

1964 – Brazil establishes diplomatic relations with Kenya