Uhuru Kenyatta resurfaces months after speculations on his health status

In a post on X on Thursday, the Office of the Fourth President spokesperson Kanze Dena revealed that Uhuru had arrived in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, ahead of the 15th High-Level Retreat that aims to promote peace and stability within the continent. 

Convened by the African Union (AU) Commission, the retreat will focus on how impactful AU has been in addressing Africa-based conflicts. 

Photos posted on the platform showed Uhuru engaging with high-level AU officials including Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security. 

"His Excellency President (Rtd) Uhuru Kenyatta arrives in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, ahead of the 15th High-Level Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security, and Stability in Africa," the post read. 

"The retreat convened by the African Union (AU) Commission will focus on the Impact and Sustainability of AU Preventive Diplomacy and Mediation in addressing conflicts across the continent."

The former president depicted a jovial demeanour following his arrival in Côte d'Ivoire. Since passing over the mantle to his successor, President William Ruto, Uhuru has been steering peace initiatives in troubled regions such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda among others. 

In late September, rumours surfaced online suggesting that Uhuru was in critical condition and had sought medical attention. At the time, the former president had been last spotted in Nigeria on June 14, 2024.

One of Uhuru's close confidants, Pauline Njoroge, however, dispelled the rumours; citing that the former president was been victimised. 

"Someone wakes up, as usual, creates a fictional story and posts it on social media. But this time, it’s about someone’s health, claiming that the person is critically ill and in the ICU. Why would a normal human being do such a thing? To what end? Likes?" Njoroge said.