President Uhuru Kenyatta with this afternoon present his nomination papers to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) a day after he jetted back into the country from Italy where he attended the G7 summit. The plane carrying Uhuru and his entourage landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly after 1:00 am.
On Tuesday, Uhuru kicks off his busy week with a trip to Mombasa to launch the cargo freight services of the Standard Gauge Railway at Port Reitz. And on Wednesday, the head of State will lead Kenyans in welcoming the new passenger SGR train in a for the launch of the first trip from Mombasa to Nairobi.
The President is expected to make stops at Mariakani in Kwale County, Voi in Taita Taveta County, Mtito Andei in Makueni County, Emali in Kajiado County – commissioning stations and holding conversations with citizens. He is expected to make a speech at Syokimau where he will be accompanied by among others top officials from the Chinese government.
On Thursday , the President will lead the country in making this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations in Nyeri. It will be the first time that a national day event will be marked in the Mount Kenya county of Nyeri. Yesterday morning at State House , President Uhuru met security chiefs for a routine to review of the security situation in the country.
In his address to the G7 summit, Uhuru asked the member states mostly industrialised countries in the world to enhance its collaboration with Africa to address global challenges including poverty, immigration, climate change and terrorism. The President said Africa is a vital partner in solving the world’s most pressing challenges.
“This is the time to put Africa’s aspirations at the heart of your plans. A freer, more prosperous Africa is a vital partner in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems: poverty, immigration, climate change, terrorism,” Uhuru told the summit. He pointed out that Africa’s transformation is driven by innovation in which Kenya is a celebrated pioneer in the continent, especially in ICT.
“That’s why we have strengthened connectivity through the Smart Africa initiative, putting ICT at the centre of our development agenda. That’s why the continent is developing an ICT policy and infrastructure to support one seamless digital market, to serve a billion people,” President Kenyatta said.
The President also held talks with G7 leaders, focusing on forging a closer cooperation in trade, investment, security, technology-sharing and development. The President held separate meetings on the margins of the G7 Summit in Taormina, Italy, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, host Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and newly elected President Emmanuel Macron of France.
During his meeting with President Kenyatta, Japanese Prime Minister Abe thanked Kenya for hosting a successful TICAD conference in 2016. Prime Minister Abe informed President Kenyatta of Japan’s intention to support South Sudan through its official development aid. He expressed a desire to continue working with Kenya at the multilateral level including on the threat from North Korea.
The meeting between President Uhuru and Italian Prime Minister Gentiloni discussed cooperation in security, fighting terror and maritime matters. They also discussed increasing the volume of Kenyan exports to Italy, which currently include coffee, tea, hides and skins, fish, leather, fruits and vegetables, and cut flowers.
With Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, President Kenyatta discussed support for healthcare – an area in which Canada has great interest, democracy, investments and innovation. President Kenyatta extended an invite to the Canadian Prime Minister to visit Kenya. At the meeting with Chancellor Merkel, President Kenyatta emphasised strengthening ties between Kenya and Germany.
Chancellor Merkel took the opportunity to officially invite President Kenyatta to attend the G20 Summit in July President Kenyatta also held talks with President Macron of France and discussed investment, migration and trade. President Kenyatta also congratulated President Macron on his election victory.
