As a result of a last-minute cancellation of the press conference scheduled for Tuesday morning at 9 am local time, Kenyans will now have to wait a little longer to learn the outcome of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi anticipated visit to Nairobi.
Hussein Mohammed, the State House spokesman, informed the media who had gathered outside for the event that the meeting had been postponed. He predicted that it would probably happen Wednesday or in the afternoon.
President Raisi’s arrival in the nation is still unknown to the Nation due to a lack of communication.
A few hours later, in a statement, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Alfred Mutua announced that the Iranian President would land on Wednesday and meet with President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi at 7 am local time for bilateral discussions.
He also noted that the meeting was rescheduled to give Kenya time to complete its memorandum of agreement (MoU), which the two presidents would address.
“The schedule of the President has now been reviewed to allow for the finalisation of key MoUs that are central to the furtherance of relations. The Iranian President will now arrive tomorrow for a state visit. The Iranian President will now arrive tomorrow for a bilateral meeting. He will, thereafter, proceed to lay a wreath at the mausoleum of the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta before proceeding to tour other African countries,” said Dr Mutua.
President Ruto had officially invited President Raisi to Kenya, and the two were supposed to talk about ways to improve trade relations, agriculture, energy, and technology. After meeting with local delegates, the two were additionally anticipated to sign collaboration agreements.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said that President Raisi’s trip was “a new turning point” that could strengthen economic and trade ties with African countries. He also said the trip was based on ‘shared political views’ between Tehran and Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
President Raisi is expected to visit Uganda on Wednesday for bilateral talks with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. He is then expected to visit Zimbabwe.