Macron charms pupils during morning run with Kipchoge

By Perpetua Etyang, NAIROBI Kenya 

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday shared a light moment with school children during his morning run alongside marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge.

During the run, Macron and Kipchoge passed by State House Primary school where they briefly stopped to interact with excited pupils.

The children rushed to greet the two leaders with excitement as they entered the school compound.

At one point, Macron peeped through a classroom window and invited the pupils to come outside and meet them.

Accompanied by their teacher, the pupils were asked who the visitors were, and they quickly responded: “Kipchoge and Emmanuel.”

In a light-hearted moment, one of the pupils asked the French President his name, prompting him to reply: “Emmanuel.”

Sharing the experience afterwards, Macron said, “Made new friends today!”

Macron swapped the formal atmosphere of high-level summit meetings for running shoes on as he joined Kenyan marathon icon Kipchoge for a jog on the streets of Nairobi.

The French president, who is in Kenya for the Africa Forward Summit, was spotted jogging alongside the two-time Olympic champion in a relaxed morning session that quickly drew attention online.

He was dressed in a navy blue track shirt featuring a thick white stripe on the sleeves, paired with black shorts and blue running shoes.

Beside him, Kipchoge appeared calm and composed in matching running gear, with the pair seemingly engaged in conversation as they paced through the Nairobi roads.

Trailing behind them was a group of runners and what appeared to be members of the presidential security team, keeping stride as the two maintained a steady pace.

The rare sight of a sitting French president jogging alongside one of Kenya’s greatest athletes offered a lighter moment away from the busy schedule of the Africa Forward Summit, which has brought together heads of state, investors and policymakers in Nairobi.

Kipchoge, widely regarded as one of the greatest marathon runners in history, has become a global symbol of endurance and discipline, attracting admiration from world leaders and sports enthusiasts alike.

The morning jog came as the high-level Africa Forward Summit officially got underway in Nairobi, drawing heads of state, senior government officials, investors, innovators and policymakers from across Africa and Europe.

Emmanuel Macron is among the key global leaders attending the two-day summit, which is co-hosted by Kenya and France and is focused on deepening Africa-Europe partnerships through trade, infrastructure development, climate action, technology and investment.

The summit has already seen Kenya and France sign several bilateral agreements covering transport, renewable energy, digital transformation, agriculture and education.

Leaders are also expected to hold discussions on reforming global financing systems, expanding investment opportunities for African economies and strengthening cooperation in innovation and green growth.

For Kenya, hosting the summit marks a major diplomatic moment, with Nairobi positioning itself as a regional hub for business, diplomacy and international partnerships.