President William Ruto has urged Kenya and Tanzania to move beyond suspicion and rivalry, warning that mistrust among neighbouring states has slowed East Africa’s economic progress and weakened the region’s collective voice.
In an address to Tanzania’s parliament in Dodoma on Tuesday, Ruto said the two countries must strengthen investment ties, expand trade and treat each other’s progress as mutually beneficial rather than competitive. His address came during his two-day State visit to Tanzania, where the proposed regional oil refinery in Tanga has featured prominently in bilateral discussions.
The president regretted that relations among neighbouring countries in the region and across Africa have often been shaped by competition, suspicion and rivalry.
“If we are honest with ourselves, some of these forces are still very alive with us. They still shape our narratives. They still influence our relations,” he said.
Ruto said Kenya and Tanzania’s founding fathers, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Jomo Kenyatta, understood that Africa’s future could not be secured in isolation. He said their commitment to regional unity laid the foundation for the integration agenda that current leaders must now advance with greater urgency.
“They understood that Africa’s future would not be secured in isolation but in unity, and planted the seed of regional integration because our destinies are intertwined and our strength lies in moving forward together,” he said.
The president said Kenya and Tanzania have walked side by side for decades in a partnership forged in struggle and anchored in shared purpose. He added that Tanzania stood with Kenya during the struggle for independence, including the Mau Mau period, affirming a shared belief in freedom, dignity and self-determination.
On investment, Ruto said Kenya was ready to participate in the proposed oil refinery in Tanga as a strategic regional partner. He said although he would naturally have preferred such a facility to be located in Mombasa, Tanga was part of the same economic space and should be viewed through a regional lens.
“While I would naturally have preferred such a facility in Mombasa, I fully recognize that Tanga, less than 200km away, is part of the same economic space,” he said.
He said the project would support industrialization, value addition and job creation across East Africa.
“Personally, I am helping to bring investment to Tanga. Let us work together as East Africans,” he said.
Ruto emphasized that economic gains in one country should not be viewed as a loss to the other.
“What is good for Tanzania is good for Kenya, and what is good for Kenya is good for Tanzania. We are one people. Let us not allow yesterday’s hangover to keep us apart,” he said.
He called on African countries to accelerate integration, saying deeper trade, shared infrastructure and expanded investment would boost competitiveness and reduce reliance on external markets.
“By deepening our integration, expanding trade, and investing in shared infrastructure, we are not only growing our economies, but we are also creating pathways to jobs, enterprise, and dignity for this generation,” he said.
He also welcomed Uganda’s recent decision to acquire a stake in the Kenya Pipeline Company, saying the move had turned the pipeline into a shared regional asset anchored in mutual benefit, energy security and long-term confidence.
Tanzania’s Water Minister and Tanga MP Jumaa Aweso welcomed the proposed refinery, saying the project would benefit his region and strengthen cooperation between the two countries.
“President Ruto has shown that leadership is about action and working together,” Aweso said.
Singida West MP Elibariki Kingu said Ruto’s address had echoed the ideals of Nyerere and Kenyatta.
“His speech in Parliament today has reminded me that the dreams of the late Julius Nyerere and Jomo Kenyatta live in Presidents William Ruto and Samia Suluhu Hassan,” he said.
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