President William Ruto is set to undertake another State Visit following his visit to Kazakhstan, which expanded relations between Nairobi and Astana.
Ruto will undertake a three-day State Visit to South Africa next week from June 3 to June 5 at the invitation of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
According to a statement issued by the Presidency in Pretoria on Friday, May 29, Ramaphosa will host his Kenyan counterpart at the Union Buildings in Tshwane on June 4 during an official program that will include bilateral talks, a business forum and the signing of agreements between the two countries.
‘‘South Africa and Kenya enjoy long-standing mutually beneficial and cordial relations that were re-established in 1994. South Africa values Kenya as a strategic partner in the East African region and the continent,’’ the South African Presidency noted.
Ruto expected in South Africa for State Visit
The program will begin with a ceremonial welcome at the Union Buildings before the two Heads of State hold official talks focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation.
A signing ceremony for memoranda of agreement and a joint media briefing are scheduled to follow before government officials and business leaders from both countries convene for the South Africa-Kenya Business Forum at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, Johannesburg, later in the day.
The forum is expected to bring together government officials and private sector leaders from both countries.
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According to Pretoria, the forum will focus on opportunities to expand commercial partnerships and increase investment in strategic sectors identified by Nairobi and Pretoria as key drivers of future economic growth.
The visit comes less than two weeks after President Ruto concluded a landmark State Visit to Kazakhstan.
During that visit, Ruto and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors while positioning their countries as gateways to Africa and Central Asia respectively.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan trips
The trip resulted in the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding covering trade and commerce, transport and logistics, mining, ICT, tourism, investment promotion and space technology.
Kenya and Kazakhstan also agreed to explore opportunities for expanded market access, particularly for Kenyan tea and other agricultural exports.
One of the major outcomes of the visit was Kazakhstan’s announcement that it would establish an embassy in Nairobi, a move expected to strengthen diplomatic, economic and humanitarian cooperation between the two countries.
Kenya, in turn, announced plans to open a Consulate-General in Astana before upgrading it into a fully-fledged embassy.
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The two governments also discussed the formation of a Kenya-Kazakhstan Business Council to increase private-sector engagement and support trade and investment growth.
Ruto used the visit to Kazakhstan to market Kenya as an attractive destination for foreign investment, particularly in renewable energy, digital infrastructure, and climate-smart manufacturing.
He highlighted Kenya’s ambition to increase electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts by 2030, pointing to opportunities in geothermal development, transmission infrastructure, battery storage systems, smart grids, green hydrogen and electric mobility.
The Kenyan delegation also toured the Alem.AI Center in Astana, a major artificial intelligence hub, and the Kazakhstan National Space Center, which is expected to establish links with Kenya’s Space Center in Malindi.
Before traveling to Kazakhstan, Ruto had attended the 13th Session of the World Urban Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, where Kenya showcased its affordable housing program and broader urban development agenda.
The upcoming visit to South Africa is expected to continue Kenya’s recent focus on economic diplomacy, with discussions likely to center on trade, investment, industrial cooperation, and regional economic integration.
South Africa remains one of Kenya’s most important trading partners on the continent and hosts some of Africa’s largest multinational companies, while Kenya continues to position itself as a regional economic hub serving East and Central Africa.
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