Roundup: Kenya tightens security as Israeli PM Netanyahu visits

Security has been tightened in the Kenyan capital Nairobi as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begun a three-day visit Tuesday after arriving from neighbouring Uganda.

Nairobi County Police Commander, Japheth Koome, said security had been beefed up in Nairobi and its environs for the visit of Netanyahu and his delegation of about 50 businessmen.

A police helicopter was intermittently doing rounds over the skies of the capital city.

Netanyahu will hold talks with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and visit some places in Nairobi, thus affecting movement of vehicles.

Police said there would be disruptions of traffic flow in Nairobi following the arrival of Netanyahu and urged motorists to cooperate with traffic officers on the ground.

There was a major traffic snarl-up Tuesday in the city following temporary closure of at least seven roads.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded waiting for commuter buses to come, while some buses capitalized on the disruptions to hike fares.

"We have been here since 6:00 a.m. and there are no vehicles and I don't know what time I will reach at home. Those (buses) that are coming however have hiked their prices," one of the affected commuters said.

Some motorists, who were caught unawares, said they had been stuck on the road for more than three hours following the blockade.

Kenya and Israel have collaborated on projects such as an ongoing maize irrigation project in the East African nation.

During Netanyahu's visit, Kenya and Israel are expected to sign or reaffirm cooperation agreements, signifying enhanced partnership between the two nations.

On Monday evening, Kenyatta joined other regional leaders as well as Netanyahu in a summit in Entebbe, Uganda.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, Zambian President Edgar Lungu, and Tanzanian Foreign Minister Augustine Mahiga attended the summit.

The two-hour meeting focused on ways to scale up cooperation between the African countries and Israel on issues of security and economic development.

A statement issued in Nairobi on Tuesday said the meeting -- the first of its kind -- emphasized the need for increased regional and international collaboration in all fields to combat terrorism, including cyber security and information gathering.

In a joint declaration issued at the end of the summit, the leaders said terrorism was a major threat to international peace and security.

The regional leaders also agreed on the importance of close cooperation between their governments and Israel to explore new ways of partnership on capacity building and utilization of innovative technologies, particularly those in the renewable energy sector.

Speaking at the summit, Netanyahu underscored the invigorated relationship between Israel and Africa on economic development and security issues.

He singled out the war against terrorism as a major area of partnership, saying teamwork was key to "fighting forces that want to take us back".

He assured the regional leaders of Israel's support to Africa's development.

Israel is ready to share its experience on health, technology, agriculture and water resource management with Africa, he said. Endit