President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday hosted French President Emmanuel Macron at State House Nairobi and held a closed-door meeting where they reportedly discussed France-Kenya relations in trade.
The youthful French president arrived at JKIA at around 2pm local time and drove to State House directly. Just like other visiting head of governments, he was given a 21-gun salute.
“President Macron will come to attend the United Nations Environmental Assembly of the UNEP. We also expect that he and Uhuru Kenyatta will co-host the summit on One Planet Summit during the same time and the primary outcome of this will be Kenya driving the global environmental agenda,” Foreign Affairs minister Monica Juma had said earlier.
Mr Macron is in a three days visit to Africa and had earlier visited Djibouti and Ethiopia. His visit comes few days after Kenya lost 32 people following an Ethiopian Airline plane crash.
Amazingly, Uhuru, a former student at St Mary's School in Nairobi, tweeted in French, showing his prowess in the language. French is widely taught in Kenya and is tested in KCSE as an optional subject.
"Je suis ravi d’accueillir mon ami Son Excellence Président Emanuel Macron de la République de France à State House, Nairobi. Le kenya et la France entretiennent des relations cordiales qui ont permis de stimuler la croissance dans différents secteurs au benefice de nos peuples," read the tweet.
It loosely translates to : "I am delighted to host my friend H.E. President @EmmanuelMacron of France at State House, Nairobi in his historic visit to Kenya. Kenya and France enjoy a cordial relationship that has helped spur growth in different areas for the benefit of our people."