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Kenya is set to host several global leaders this week even as the weekly demonstrations organised by the Azimio Coalition resumed yesterday after misunderstandings over the parliamentary bipartisan talks.

While some business premises were closed in parts of Nairobi, other counties were largely peaceful, other than Kisumu where demonstrators made movement impossible during the day.

Among the leaders set to visit Kenya are the German Chancellor, Prime Minister of Japan and leaders of global organisations including World Trade Organisation (WTO), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and United Nations are expected in the country in the coming few days.

Germany Chancellor, Olaf Scholz is expected in the country tomorrow in what is expected to be a three-day stay in Ethiopia and Kenya. A business delegation will be part of the team, during his his second official visit to Africa as Chancellor and comes at a time when the West’s increasing appetite for influence and trade worldwide with other powers, notably China, is palpable.

Speaking in Nairobi during the Labour Day celebrations on Monday, President William Ruto said he would host the German Chancellor this week during which visit the two governments will sign bilateral labour agreements. “We have very many countries asking for Kenyan workers. The German chancellor will be here on Thursday and we will sign bilateral labour agreements that will see Kenyans get opportunities in the 250 million jobs Germany has on offer every year,” said Ruto.

Germany will support Kenya in its attempt to better penetrate the European Union market. Speaking last month when Ruto paid him a courtesy call, Scholz had called Kenya a true friend whose economy must be helped to thrive. “The better access to Europe will help Kenyan firms to produce and sell more. This will accelerate employment creation and support more lives,” he said while addressing the media y at his office in Bundeskanzleramt in Berlin after talks with President Ruto.

While in Kenya, the Chancellor will also be seeking clean energy partnerships in the space where Kenya is a top global player and Scholz’s government sees potential climate partnership deals.

Energy mix

Geothermal power is key in Kenya’s energy mix and offers according to Yahoo News, this also offers “excellent conditions” for the production of green hydrogen.

“The hope is that green hydrogen could eventually be imported from Kenya,” a German government source was quoted by Yahoo News, adding that Scholz is also scheduled to visit a geothermal power plant at Lake Naivasha on Saturday.

The WTO Director General, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, is expected in the country on Friday alongside International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva. The two will be attending a high-level panel discussion on trade integration in Africa to be held in Nairobi organised through the National Treasury.

“I am excited to be in Nairobi next week to highlight the IMF research paper on how regional trade integration can help unlock the continent’s potential in a changing world,” wrote Georgieva on Twitter.

Kenya will also host Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, to discuss various bilateral national and international issues, including trade.

“During my visit, I would like to listen to Kenya’s views as a country contributing to peace and stability in the East African region and address various challenges in the international arena and consider them in the discussions at the upcoming G7 Hiroshima Summit,” he told a local publication in an interview. United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is also expected to visit the country soon.

The high-profile visits come at a time when street protests have resumed in Nairobi after bipartisan talks between the Azimio and Kenya Kwanza camps hit a dead end.