Presidents start arriving in Kenya for Africa Forward summit

Heads of State have started jetting in the country ahead of the much-anticipated Africa Forward summit set to be held on May 11 and 12 in Nairobi.

The Africa Forward Summit, hosted jointly by President William Ruto and his French Counterpart Emmanuel Macron, will bring together at least 30 presidents, innovators and business leaders to address emerging regional and global challenges. 

On Sunday, Sierra Leone president Julius Maada Bio landed on Kenyan soil at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and was received by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano.

CS Miano also received Côte D’ivoire’s president Alassane Ouattara on Saturday evening.

More presidents are expected to jet in today ahead of the high-level presidential convergence at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC)

On Friday, the Office of the Government Spokesperson announced that heavy VVIP movement is expected along key roads including Mombasa Road, Lang’ata Road, Thika Road, Limuru Road and Kiambu Road.

The government further announced that several roads within the Central Business District will be closed from midnight on May 11 to facilitate the high-level summit.

The roads set to be closed include City Hall Way, Parliament Road, Harambee Avenue and Taifa Road, with only conference vehicles accessing the KICC allowed passage.

Likewise, Nairobi Regional Police Commander Issa Mohammud has said both uniformed and plain-clothed officers would be deployed across the city to ensure public safety and smooth movement during the summit.

He also disclosed that access to some hotels and venues would be restricted temporarily as part of enhanced security operations.