- Ruto plans to leverage the occasion to garner Ethiopia's backing for the AU chairperson candidacy.
- Opposition leader Raila Odinga has expressed his intention to vie for the position.
Image: COURTESY
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected in Nairobi today (Wednesday) for a state visit, the first since President William Ruto took to power.
Officials aware of the visit said the agenda of the visit is security and economic collaboration, with a particular focus on Ethiopia's strategic interest in utilizing Kenya's Lamu Port for maritime access.
The meeting aims to address and resolve non-tariff barriers and improve infrastructure to enhance bilateral trade.
His last State visit to Kenya was in June 2018 when he and then-president Uhuru Kenyatta vowed to elevate their ties to strategic levels.
He was, however, back in the country for an official visit in December 2020 for the launch of the One-Stop Border Post at Moyale in Marsabit.
He also attended Ruto’s inauguration ceremony in 2022.
The border post was opened to help in easing immigration and customs clearance.
Abiy's visit underscores the commitment to bolstering diplomatic relations and exploring new avenues of collaboration in the region.
Ruto on his part made his first foreign trip to the country in October 2022 to attend the national launch of Safaricom Ethiopia.
Kenya and Ethiopia share a 60-year-old historical defense agreement, rooted in the friendship between Jomo Kenyatta and Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
The pact was signed to protect and state that if any country is attacked, the other will come to its aid.
At the heart of the treaty was and remains Somalia-their civil-war-troubled nation.
Ruto plans to leverage the occasion to garner Ethiopia's backing for the AU chairperson candidacy.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has expressed his intention to vie for the position.
The meeting between the two leaders comes a week after Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi made a tour to the country for the 36th Joint Ministerial Commission meeting.
During the meeting, several agreements aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations between Kenya and Ethiopia were signed.
Mudavadi was received in Addis Ababa by the Kenyan ambassador to Ethiopia George Orina and Director General for African Affairs in the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fisseh Shawul.
“We concluded a strategic framework that outlines key areas of economic and social development where we will collaborate closely and sign seven specific memoranda of understanding in the areas of Tourism, Wildlife, Culture, Blue economy, Petroleum, Correctional Services and Capacity building in public service,” Mudavadi said.
He said Kenya remains committed to working with Ethiopia to address trade barriers, including tariffs and non-tariff barriers that hinder the expansion of trade between the two nations.
“In light of the evolving regional and global landscape, we recognize the importance of regular interaction to enhance our partnerships at the bilateral, regional, continental, and international levels,” he stated.