German Chancellor Arrives In Kenya For Africa's Diplomat Tour

President William Ruto of Kenya welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Nairobi, on Friday, for the second leg of the diplomat’s African tour.

After having to wean itself off Russian energy imports as a result of the Ukraine war, Germany's chancellor is knocking on Kenya's door in search of sustainable energy collaborations.

Kenya is currently Germany's largest East African trading partner. Renewables meet 90% of the East African country's power needs, with aspirations to go completely green by 2030.

On Saturday, Scholz will tour a geothermal power plant in Lake Naivasha. Geothermal energy is important in Kenya's energy mix and provides ideal circumstances for the creation of green hydrogen.

"The hope is that green hydrogen could eventually be imported from Kenya," a German government source explained.

German authorities have been signing energy deals with a wide range of countries in recent months, after being compelled to quickly wean itself off cheap Russian energy imports following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Although Scholz's government acknowledges Kenya as a major economic and value partner, this journey focuses on the continent's strategic relevance and Western efforts to oppose China and Russia's overtures to the region.  

Scholz will work to correct Russian propaganda that justifies Russia's attack on Ukraine as a result of NATO's expansionist zeal.

Scholz would also want to "offer political and economic cooperation on equal terms," according to a government source, in light of China's massive economic investments in Africa.