President Uhuru Kenyatta and visiting Burundi Head of State Evariste Ndayishimiye are in Kisumu County ahead of the Madaraka Day celebrations where the latter is set to be the Chief Guest.

The Burundi head of state, who is accompanied by the first lady Angeline Ndayubaha, arrived in Kisumu on Monday, where he was received by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Ambassador Raychelle Omamo and ODM leaders Raila Odinga, before proceeding to State Lodge, Kisumu where together with president Kenyatta led their respective delegations in bilateral talks and addressed the press.

President Evariste Ndayishimiye’s visit in Kenya marks the first time in nearly a decade that a Burundian leader has toured the country.
Evariste was elected as President of Burundi in 2020. His predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza, who died last year, had not made any foreign trip in five years. Since he assumed office, Ndayishimiye has made four foreign trips to Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Uganda and now Kenya.

During his address to the press, Ndayishimiye invited president Uhuru Kenyatta to also visit Burundi.

Kisumu Port

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Burundi counterpart Evariste Ndayishimiye are set to commission several projects at the Kisumu Port, key among them the Kenya Shipyards Limited, the new Kenya Railways Marine School, and the refurbished MV Uhuru Cargo Ship.

Handshake Goodies

President Uhuru Kenyatta has commissioned two key road and water projects in Siaya County.

The President, who arrived in the region on Sunday afternoon for a three-day working visit, officially opened the Shs1.6 billion Kodiaga-Wagai-Onyirore/Akala, and Nyangweso-Muhanda road circuit, and the Shs 2.4 billion Siaya-Bondo water supply and sanitation project.

The road network covers a total distance of 38kms, opening up the fish and sugarcane rich region to markets in Kisumu and beyond.

The Siaya Bondo water project, funded by the Government and the African Development Bank (AfDB), raised the volume of fresh water supply to the two towns by rehabilitating and expanding the Sidindi Malanga processing plant.

The project, whose construction began in November 2013 and ended in December 2018, also involved the construction of sewer treatment facilities in Siaya and Bondo towns.