President Uhuru Kenyatta was accorded a State reception Tuesday afternoon in Portugal, where he met the country’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

The Head of State began a two-day visit after attending the 2022 UN Ocean Conference hosted in the Southern European nation.

“President Kenyatta was received by his Portuguese host at the iconic Jerónimos Monastery in central Lisbon in an elaborate military ceremony that included a Guard of Honour and a Gun Salute by the Forças Armada (The Portuguese Armed Forces).

“Jerónimos Monastery, which President Kenyatta toured extensively, is an imposing masterpiece of the 16th-century Portuguese architecture and a global monument where the remains of renowned Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama and poet Luís de Camões are interred in clearly marked tombs.

“After the detailed reception ceremony, President Kenyatta took a short drive, escorted by a ceremonial cavalry of horse riders, to the nearby Belém Palace, the official residence of the Portuguese President, where the two leaders led their respective delegations in bilateral talks and addressed the media,” State House said in a press dispatch.

Uhuru co-chairs UN Ocean Decade Alliance meeting

On Monday, President Uhuru co-chaired the first in-person UN Ocean Decade Alliance meeting with his Portuguese Republic counterpart and UNESCO’s Audrey Azoulay.

The high-level UN Ocean Decade Alliance meeting held on the sidelines of the 2022 UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, was mobilized to promote interaction among the alliance’s members.

The two presidents are Founding Patrons of the UN Ocean Decade Alliance, an organization established in 2021 as a platform for mobilizing resources to support ocean science.