President Uhuru Kenyatta flew to France on Sunday afternoon, in what has been described as part of his foreign policy agenda to enhance friendly relations, deepen partnership and expand cooperation between Kenya and its international allies.
The visit will take place from April 4 to 6.
The President will be in France at the invitation of President Francois Hollande.
State House spokesperson Mahoah Esipisu said the President greatly appreciates France as a long-standing friend and prized partner of Kenya.
He said France is the 6th largest investor in Kenya, and Kenya is the largest recipient of French Overseas Development Assistance.
Through the Africa Development Bank, the French Government has committed Sh88.5 billion to Kenya to finance a range of projects in the country, and last year the French Development Agency (AFD) committed Sh5 billion towards the Kenya Informal Sector Program to finance the upgrading of slums.
The discussions between Presidents Kenyatta and Hollande will center chiefly on matters of security.
Both the French people and the Kenyan people have experienced firsthand the ineffable pain of incalculable loss at the hands of merciless mercenaries of terror.
Both countries have a deeply vested interest in stemming the rise of rabid, violent ideologies that are the perpetuated through the ongoing radicalization that is taking place in Africa and across the world.
Both Presidents see the security of their nations as being inextricably linked.
"President Kenyatta and President Hollande stand together in the global war on terror, and will be seeking out synergies to enhance security in the horn of Africa, even as they strive to develop trade relations between France and Kenya. President Kenyatta will also seek to draw lessons on how to bolster Kenya’s own national security, by reviewing the French National Security Architecture," he said.
In the course of his two day visit, he shall tour the French Crisis Management Centre and the Headquarters of French Intelligence Services.
Upon leaving France, President Kenyatta will make his way to Germany.
The President will visit Germany at the invitation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. He will be in Germany from April 6 to 8.
President Kenyatta’s visit to Germany is historic: the first official visit to Germany by a Kenyan Head of State since 1999.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Kenya in 2011.
“The President again appreciates the long-standing friendship between Germany and Kenya that stretches back to 1963 when Germany was the first country to recognize independent Kenya. Since that time, the relationship between the two nations has flourished. Kenya’s exports to Germany rose to Sh11 billion in 2014. Currently, there are about 90 German companies that have invested about $120 million in Kenya and created over created 4200 jobs,” he said.
During President Kenyatta visit, he and Chancellor Merkel will consider ways of deepening the existing bilateral relations in key areas of mutual interest such as trade and investment, tourism, education, culture and security.
During the course of his Germany visit, the President will attend a business forum where he will seek to raise awareness on the available business and investment opportunities in Kenya with a view to increasing Foreign Direct Investment.
The President will also visit The Renewable Energy Academy AG (Renac) in Germany, which is one of the world’s leading providers of renewable energy training and energy efficiency education.
The President, whose government is investing heavily in energy and has embarked on creating the biggest wind farm in Kenya as part of their commitment to renewable energy, will have first-hand experience and understanding of global best practices in imparting the technical knowledge that enables a country to sustain its renewable energy sites and actualize its renewable energy commitments.
The President will also be exploring possible areas of cooperation and assessing opportunities for technology transfer.