Turkish President in Kenya for a three-day state visit

President Uhuru Kenyatta Thursday morning welcomed Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to State House, Nairobi, with an elaborate State reception complete with a 21-gun salute.

The Turkish President, who is on a three-day State visit, arrived at State House shortly before 11.00 a.m., accompanied by his wife Emine Erdogan, and were received by President Kenyatta.

The National Anthems of Kenya and Turkey were played followed by the Kenya Defence Forces firing 21 cannon shots, a traditional ceremony reserved for Heads of State. The Turkish President then inspected a guard of honour.

Other dignitaries who received President Erdogan at State House included First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Cabinet Secretaries and Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Samson Mwathethe among others.

The two Presidents will later lead their delegations in bilateral talks.

The visiting President will, after the conclusion of the bilateral talks, head to the United Nations Office in Nairobi, Gigiri, where he will be received by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) Executive Director.

President Kenyatta and President Erdogan will later in the afternoon attend a Kenya-Turkey Business Forum at the Villa Rosa Kempinski Hotel.

In the evening, President Erdogan will be honoured with a State dinner hosted by President Kenyatta and First Lady Margaret Kenyatta at State House.

Earlier, President Erdogan laid a wreath at the Mausoleum of the First President of Kenya, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. He was received at the Mausoleum by the Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi and Chief of the Defence Forces Gen. Samson Mwathethe.

This is the second time a President of Turkey is paying a State Visit to Kenya. The first was in 2009 when Abdullah Gul came for a three-day State visit.

President Kenyatta paid a State Visit to Turkey in 2014, the first by a Kenyan Head of State.