Poland in Kenya

Historical outline

In March 1963, talks took place in New York between the then Permanent Representative of the Polish People's Republic to the United Nations, Bogdan Lewandowski, and the Prime Minister of Uganda, Milton Obote. Their result was an agreement on the establishment of diplomatic relations, which were officially established on April 8, 1963. In May of the same year, the first Polish representative accredited in Kampala was Janusz Lewandowski, chargé d'affaires of the Polish People's Republic, permanently residing in Tanganyika.

Currently, the Polish ambassador to Kenya based in Nairobi (Amb. Mirosław Gojdź) is accredited in Kampala, while Poland is subject to the accreditation of the ambassador of Uganda from Berlin (currently, from 2023, Amb. Stephen Mubiru). In 1998, an honorary consulate of the Republic of Poland was opened in Kampala, headed by Mr. Ephraim R. Kamantu (former long-time parliamentarian, former Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Minister of Water and Environment, and Tourism, Nature and Monuments), who since June 2021 has held the position of special advisor to the president for economic affairs and implementation of the political manifesto of the ruling NRM party. In 2018, he was awarded the "Bene Merito" badge.

Political cooperation during the Third Polish Republic

Polish-Uganda relations are going well. In 1995, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Stanisław Szymański visited Kampala, seeking Uganda's support in the elections for a non-permanent member of the UNSC.

In 2018, Minister Beata Kempa, responsible for humanitarian aid, visited Uganda. Min. Kempa visited, among others, Bidi-Bidi refugee camp and met her Ugandan counterpart Min. Hilary Onek. In 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was visited by the ambassador of Uganda based in Berlin and a Ugandan delegation led by the deputy ministers of Foreign Affairs and Finance. In fall 2023, Uganda also opened the One Stop Center for Trade, Economic Investment and Tourism in Warsaw. In 2023, the head of the Political-Economic, Consular and Polish Diaspora Department of the Polish Embassy in Narobi, Joanna Szymańska, visited Uganda, during which she held talks with the Head of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Director of Foreign Affairs. Regional, International and Economic Ministry of Foreign Affairs on strengthening political and economic relations. In March 2024, Amb. Mirosław Gojdź submitted a copy of his credentials to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda - Ory Henry Okello. During the talks, opportunities for cooperation were discussed, especially in the mining sector, and it was agreed that a partnership program would be initiated between selected cities of Uganda and Poland in order to support development cooperation and exchange of best practices. Also in the same month, the Ugandan ambassador submitted the original accreditation letters to President A. Duda. Since April 2024, the process of appointing an honorary consul in Warsaw has been taking place). 

Since 2004, Poland has been providing development assistance to Uganda, mainly in the form of the so-called small grants implemented by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Nairobi, as well as through Polish missionaries. Until 2020, Uganda was on the list of priority countries for Polish Aid, which allowed the Polish Embassy in Kenya to implement 3 small grants: in Kakooge, Koja and Buluba. The last two, carried out in historically important places for Poland, were linked to the common history of the Republic of Poland and East Africa (the stay of Siberians and the activities of Dr. Wanda Błeńska). The figure of the Polish doctor was also remembered thanks to the project of the InnovAid Foundation in Matugga completed in December 2020 (construction of a hospital named after Dr. Błeńska - Wanda Matugga Health Center).

In 2023, the value of exports from Poland to Uganda amounted to USD 19.5 million (in 2022 - EUR 22.5 million), while we imported goods for a total amount of USD 17.7 million (in 2022 - EUR 9.6 million). The above ranks it 130th in the ranking of the main export markets and 139th place in the main import markets of our country. In 2022, we imported mainly coffee (73.6%), fish, tea and tobacco from Uganda, and exported used clothing (52.4%), paper (19.9%), machinery and plant products. Although the volume of trade between Poland and Uganda is constantly increasing, obstacles to its development are non-tariff barriers to trade, a high level of corruption, poorly developed infrastructure, extensive bureaucracy and costs of doing business. The World Bank ranks Uganda only 116th in the world in terms of ease of doing business. The most promising sectors of the Ugandan economy are: agriculture, tourism and mining. Ugandan agriculture employs about 70% of the population, but despite the favorable climate, it is very inefficient. Uganda has large needs in areas such as fertilizer production and food processing, storage and packaging. Uganda is rich in natural resources (including cobalt, gold, copper, iron ore, tungsten, tin, diamonds, salt and vermiculite), making it one of the most attractive investment destinations in East Africa. It also has oil deposits estimated at 1.4 billion barrels, which are planned to be exploited by 2025.

In Koja and Nyabyeya, within the consular district of the Embassy of Poland in Nairobi, there are two cemeteries of Polish Siberians deported by the Soviet Union from the Eastern Borderlands to Siberia in 1940-41, and then, after the creation of the Army of General Władysław Anders, who came to East Africa. In Nyabyeya, in addition to the cemetery, there is also a church built by Polish Siberians, and there are also preserved houses that were once part of the Polish camp and have now been taken over by the local population. The facility takes care of memorial sites in Uganda, and in Koja we also traditionally implement development cooperation projects - we support the expansion of the Health Center in Koja, built on the initiative of Polish refugees and opened in November 2017, named after Polish Siberians. In Uganda, we regularly organize special meetings and cultural events. On November 12 2024 , the day after the solemn celebration of Independence Day, the first Polish-Ugandan Economic Seminar was held in Kampala, organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Nairobi in cooperation with the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Kampala and the PAIH Foreign Trade Office in Nairobi. The event was attended by delegates from several Polish companies representing, among others: sectors: agriculture, food, energy, IT, transport, as well as several dozen representatives of Ugandan business and administration.

In 2018, cooperation was established between the Higher School of Social and Natural Sciences Wincenty Pol in Lublin and the International Health Sciences University in Kampala, in the field of education in paramedical professions, under the EU Erasmus+ program. It provides for study visits of academic staff and student exchanges on the basis of scholarship benefits. In 2017, academic staff of Makerere University in Kampala participated in the world conference of librarians in Wrocław. There is a growing interest in studying in Poland among Ugandan citizens, every year several dozen people undertake studies in our country on a paid basis. There are currently no Polish citizens studying in Uganda.

Recognition of academic qualifications
Academic documents from Uganda are recognized by the  Polish universities, provided that they are legalized at the Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Nairobi.

Ugandan Ministry of Education and Sport

There is a small Polish community living in Uganda (approx. 20-30 people). These are mainly Polish priests working on missions in Uganda. The Polish diaspora group also includes spouses of graduates of Polish universities. In March 2021, there was a ceremony of awarding the Bene Merito badge by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to Father Wojciech Ulman, superior of the Polish Franciscan mission in Uganda and parish priest of the sanctuary. Ugandan martyrs in Munyonyo, in recognition of his services to strengthening Poland's position on the international arena.

In Uganda, the memory of Polish Siberian refugees staying in the country in the years 1942-1950 is still alive. In 1942, Polish refugees from Siberia who left the USSR with General Anders' army arrived in Koja. The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Nairobi takes care of the cemetery - the only remnant of the camp closed in 1952. In 2016, the Embassy implemented a project in Koja under the small grants system, consisting in the construction of a hospital ward of the local health center: Koja Sybiraki Health Center, and the construction and equipment of a new central wing of the center were financed. In July 2017, Anna Fotyga, a member of the European Parliament, visited Uganda and participated in the Great Lakes Trade Summit and, among others, paid a visit to the Health Center and to the cemetery of Polish refugees in Koja.

In November 2017, a ceremony was held to mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of Polish refugees - Siberians - to Uganda. Polish delegation, consisting of, among others, of former residents of the Koja estate, chaired by Senator Maciej Łuczak. The ceremony was attended by representatives of central and local authorities.  The Health Center in Koja was named after Polish Siberians. During his stay in Uganda, Senator Łuczak met, among others, with Deputy Minister of Finance Keith Muhakanizi.

As part of the visit, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Nairobi organized a conference on refugee issues and an exhibition on Siberians at the National Museum in Kampala.