Russia’s Foreign Minister arrives in Kenya unannounced

NAIROBI, Kenya

Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Lavrov’s arrival in Nairobi on Monday morning, without giving further details on the visit.

The Russian embassy in Nairobi in a tweet said this would be “a very fruitful week for Russia-Kenya bilateral relations”.

Kenya’s President William Ruto has skipped Nigeria’s Bola Tinubu inauguration slated for Monday.

Lavrov’s visit comes days after Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba made an African tour last week.

Lavrov’s trip reflects the continuous campaign in Africa by both Moscow and Kyiv. And they are tapping food security to sway support. Last month, Russia said it was sending 200,000 tonnes of fertiliser to Kenya.

On Africa Day, May 25, the Russian government said it had sent a donation of fortified oil worth $1 million to be distributed to those facing hunger in Kenya.