Germany seeks clean energy deal with Kenya

Kenyan President William Ruto welcomed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Nairobi on the second leg of the diplomat’s African tour on Friday.

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.

Currently, Germany’s top trading partner in East Africa is Kenya. With a goal of going entirely green by 2030, renewable energy sources already supply 90% of the country’s energy requirements in east Africa.

Scholz will be visiting a geothermal power plant at Lake Naivasha on Saturday.

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 government recognizes Kenya as an important economic and value partner, this tour mainly underlines the strategic importance of the continent and the efforts undertaken by Western states to counter China and Russia’s overtures to the region.

Scholz will seek to rectify Russian propaganda justifying its war on Ukraine as a result of NATO’s expansion zeal.

With an eye on China’s huge economic investments in Africa, Scholz will also seek to “offer political and economic cooperation on equal terms,” the government source said.