๐ฉ๐ช Ambassador to Kenya, Somalia, Seychelles. PermRep to UNEP, UN Habitat. โDiplomacy is like jazz: endless variations on a themeโ (R. Holbrooke).
On the way to next meeting brief stop at duka la madafu. What a taste, ilikuwa tamu sana๐ด๐ฅฅ. Boss ya duka ni Peter na anasema: madafu ni mazuri sana kwa kidney ๐ช๐ฝ๐ช. And taught me some kikuyu, sounded like: nฤซ ngatho mลซno (โฆ)
Leo nilinunua samani katika Ngong Rd. Tough negotiations but at the end everybody was happy. Always impressed to see the quality of ๐ฐ๐ช craftsmen.
I really like
#Watamu
marine park for a nice snorkeling tour. BUT: getting the ticket via eCitezen is more difficult than seeing the big fish ๐ ๐ก๐ .
Nimerudi tena Ngong Rd/ Dagoretti corner. This time for samaki/ rech ๐ ๐ not samani/ viti/ masofa. Was very good kitamu sana, liked especially the managu ๐ฅฆ๐ฅฌ. Still have to get used to ugali though...
Today had the pleasure to meet Hon
@RailaOdinga
. Talked about ๐ฐ๐ช politics, his pan-african vision and his student years in ๐ฉ๐ช. Very impressed by his German language skills, nimezungumza lugha la kijerumani na Baba โ๐ผโ๐พ
While unpacking one of last boxes of the moving (haraka haraka haina...) found this photo. Nervous young ๐ฉ๐ช diplomat greeting late President Kibaki under the eyes of two serious military guys, January 2004.
Had the honour to receive 'Baba'
@RailaOdinga
yesterday for lunch at the ๐ฉ๐ช residence. Talked about ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฐ๐ช relations,
#Africa
in general and a bit about ๐ฐ๐ช politics... Asanate sana!
Wow - Mercedes is now assembling its truck Actros (called "The Beast") in ๐ฐ๐ช! What a success. Honored to speak at the launching event together with CS Moses Kuria
@Trade_Kenya
. Asante
@DTDobieKE
et Hongera sana!
Well, they told me before leaving Eldoret, lazima nikunywe mursik ๐ฅ๐, you will run like G.O.A.T.
@EliudKipchoge
. Thanks Rose for giving me first mursik experience!
H. E.
@WilliamsRuto
welcoming
@Bundeskanzler
Olaf Scholz
@StateHouseKenya
: โ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฐ๐ชfriendship growing stronger every year.โ Indeed so many projects and common challenges to work on together as true friends and partners.
Met
@Asmali77
kesho at the ๐ฆ๐ช National Day. We knew each other only by X/ ex-Twitter but will catch up soon. Ninafurahi kutembelea
#Eastleigh
hivi karibuni!
Flying back home, seeing family and friends in ๐ฉ๐ช and going to Munich Security Conference
@MunSecConf
, leading global forum on foreign and security policy. Very much looking forward! Still wearing
@Football_Kenya
jacket, like it a lot, but wont be warm enough (3ยฐ/ 10ยฐ brrr โ๏ธ๐จ)
Ready to face some tough questions -
@Bundeskanzler
Olaf Scholz in Town Hall meeting with ๐ฐ๐ช youth. Discussing Start up scene in
#Africa
,
#TVET
, skilled labour immigration, climate/ energy, strengthening democracy in our societies and ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฉ๐ช cooperation. Asante sana kwa wote!!
Karibu Kenya, H. E. Christian Wulff, former Federal President, representing ๐ฉ๐ช at tomorrows inauguration - just arrived at
#JKIA
. Thx to protocol and European Director Lucy Kiruthu
@ForeignOfficeKE
for perfect hospitality and support!
Continuing ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฉ๐ช exchange on highest level with private sector representatives. Earlier, during working lunch, HE
@WilliamsRuto
inviting
@Bundeskanzler
Olaf Scholz to visit
#Kenya
again very soon. Answer - "I will be back!".
Great pleasure to open first
@joseph_seibel
shoe concept store in
#Nairobi
CBD. Ni duka la viatu la kwanza la Ujerumani katika ๐ฐ๐ช. More to follow. Shoes produced by Kenyans for Kenyans and the world. In Kwale county, more than 120 jobs created. ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฐ๐ช
Leo asubuhi ninaenda Pangani Girls
#Nairobi
. We are bit too early, so time for coffee. Discovered nice spot katika Agoi Rd. Kahawa na keki zilikuwa tamu sana! Asante sana!
Asante sana
@WilliamsRuto
for warm welcome and bilateral talks with ๐ฉ๐ช FM
@ABaerbock
. All this in fantastic setting of Sagana State Lodge in beautiful Nyeri County. ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฉ๐ช - tunaendelea pamoja ๐ฏ!
Went out for some hiking to Ngong hills today with friends visiting from Germany. It was amazing, also the maji ya miwa at the end of the tour - ilikuwa tamu sana sana ๐ฅ๐ฉน๐๐ฝ!
So tomorrow is my birthday. Would be nice to welcome follower nambari 10k kesho. Will invite her/ him for keki ๐ na kawaha โ๏ธ ubalozini na tamasha ya musiki ya
#Jazz
. Please help!
Last meeting of the day.
@Bundeskanzler
Olaf Scholz sharing a light moment with kitchen crew of one of the many fantastic
#Nairobi
restaurants. Ilikuwa kituma sana - asante!
Pleasure to welcome Tylor Ongwae from
#Eldoret
this morning at GER Embassy. He will soon move to ๐ฉ๐ช to pursue his professional basketball ๐โน๏ธโโ๏ธโน๏ธ๐ฟโโ๏ธcarreer. We wish him all the best! Tunakutakia kila la heri ๐๐ฟ๐!
Karibu ๐ฐ๐ช, Brussels Airlines
@FlyingBrussels
. Six flights โ๏ธ per week to Brussels, the capital of
#Europe
. So now 17 flights of
@lufthansa
family to ๐ฉ๐ช ๐ง๐ช ๐ช๐บ per week. Safari njema kwa wote!
As time goes by. Just received some photos from my stay in ๐ฐ๐ช miaka ishirini iliyopita, kama kijana...One picture with phantastic singer, late Achieg Abura. Other photo with jazz band called 'Moyo'. Apparently I had a favorite red sweater at this time.
A few weeks ago we had our Embassy away day, visiting a coffee farm in Kiambu and enjoying a ๐ฉ๐ช nyama choma (aka Currywurst) in Karen. Here is the fantastic team of
@GermanyinKenya
๐ค๐๐ฝ๐๐๐พ
Asante sana
@gladyswanga
for warm welcome in beautiful Homa Bay county. First stop of
#TeamEurope
๐ฐ๐ช visit in
#Nyanza
. Good exchange on climate risks and strategic responses in the region.
#EU
supports green transition in ๐ฐ๐ช.
Friendly visitors today celebrating family reunion in our Embassy garden, Riverside Drive. Probably checking what ๐ฉ๐ช diplomats work on currently?
Historic day for
#EU
#Kenya
relations. Signing of Economic Partnership Agreement. Opening ๐ช๐บ market for ๐ฐ๐ช products and bringing more ๐ช๐บ investment to ๐ฐ๐ช.
@vonderleyen
: 'most ambitious agreement with African country so far esp. in climate/ environment'.
#TeamEurope
@EUinKenya
Karibu ๐ฐ๐ช, MP Dr. Hendrik Hoppenstedt, chief whip of
@cducsubt
in the ๐ฉ๐ช parliament. In
#Nairobi
to interview candidates for prestigious Int. Parliament Scholarship in
#Berlin
. Started visit with meeting
@YvonneOkwara
and
@machariagaitho
for great discussion over lunch.
Today we bid farewell to seven wonderful colleagues of
@GermanyinKenya
who will leave us this summer. With a nyama choma ๐ฉ๐ช style (we call it 'Bratwurst'). We will miss them, they will miss Kenya ๐ฐ๐ช, and we will meet again somewhere, sometime. Kwaheri na tuonane badaaye ๐๐๐ผ๐โโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ
Here some impressions of yesterdays citizens festival of ๐ฉ๐ช Federal President Steinmeier. Very exciting that ๐ฐ๐ช was first non-European country as official partner. Ilikuwa baridi kidogo lakini tumefanya sherehe pamoja!
Landed in
#Eldoret
, the home of champions. Looking forward to our
#Berlin
marathon ๐โโ๏ธ๐โโ๏ธ๐๐ฟโโ๏ธ๐๐ฟevent kesho asubuhi. Great partnership with
@NationMediaGrp
๐๐พ๐
Arrived in
#Frankfurt
, Ujerumani ๐ฉ๐ช this morning. Very happy to meet family, friends and foreign office colleagues. BUT: it not only looks cold, it IS cold, hewa ni barrrridi sana sana. So enjoy the โ๏ธin ๐ฐ๐ช.
What an honour to host H. E. Prime CS
@MusaliaMudavadi
as Chief guest at ๐ฉ๐ช National day yesterday. Pleasure to hand over photos of fantastic ๐ฐ๐ช ๐ฉ๐ช 'soccer diplomacy' with Musalia as captain of Bunge FC, playing 1990 in Bonn against GER
@bundestag
team. Who won?? (state secret)
Everything set and ready for our big ๐ฉ๐ช National Day event in
#Nairobi
. Celebrating 33 yrs of German unity and 60 yrs of ๐ฉ๐ช ๐ฐ๐ช friendship!!
Thank you
@MarthaKarua
for a lively and insightful political exchange over a nice cup of coffee. Its always good to talk and learn from experienced ๐ฐ๐ช political actors where things stand and how they might move forward. Asante sana!
#Berlin
- H.E. President
@WilliamsRuto
received by ๐ฉ๐ช Chancellor Olaf Scholz
@Bundeskanzler
and Federal President Steinmeier. Good talks around
#G20
Compact with Africa and ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฐ๐ชclimate/ development partnership, regional security and trade/ investment. ๐ธ BReg/Steins/Bergmann
@SteveKariukis
Mwalimu wangu wa kiswahili (Neema
@NeemaKasabo
) anatoka Tanzania. But you are right - I checked samani in an online dictionary. Still learning.
Uplifting visit today at
#Kisumu
Boys' High School. School hosted ๐ฉ๐ช cultural festival recently. AND: ๐ฉ๐ช teacher Edna Obare won this years' teacher of the year award for all her energy and engagement in kufundisha lugha ya kijerumani. Hongera sana, Edna!!
Hongera sana! 100 yrs of
#TVET
in ๐ฐ๐ช! Thx, PS Esther Muoria for a very special event at Kabete National Polytechnic, graced by H.E.
@WilliamsRuto
and H.E.
@MusaliaMudavadi
. ๐ฉ๐ช key partner in TVET and Dual training in ๐ฐ๐ช, helping to equip 60 TVET schools all over the country.
Incoming German ๐ฉ๐ช Ambassador to Kenya ๐ฐ๐ชSebastian Groth presented his Credentials to President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday evening. In his speech Ambassador Groth committed to further deepening the long standing and very good relations between ๐ฉ๐ช and ๐ฐ๐ช.
Still celebrating
@IEBCKenya
and
#KenyaDecides2022
at
#Bomas
. Compared to what I know from elections in ๐ฉ๐ช mood is more groovy here. Hope it stays this way. Ninapenda sana!
That was big fun and a very substantial discussion on ๐ฐ๐ช ๐ฉ๐ช climate cooperation, green finance and about local engagement, especially from the youth. Thx
@citizentvkenya
@KoinangeJeff
and
@giz_gmbh
for bringing us together.
Today I visited the community of Ogenya, near
#Kisumu
. Many families are in temporary shelter due to recent flooding. ๐ฉ๐ช through
@KenyaRedCross
is helping by supporting local cash transfer programs.
Only few minutes to go for town hall discussion
@citizentvkenya
. Bwana
@KoinangeJeff
warming up the audience at
@uonbi
("guys, its not about doctors strike, its about climate/ energy"). I think we will have a good time together.
Here the view from balcony in
#Berlin
. Ok, itโs not Masai Mara, but summer in
#Germany
also very nice. And apparently today a lioness was spotted in the south of Berlin, no joke.
Coming back from
#Somalia
๐ธ๐ด yesterday, found this photo. My first trip to Mogadishu in February 2002. No smartphone, no X, but lots of hairs. As time goes by.
#TeamEurope
visiting
#Migori
County sweet potato/ ๐ฅ viazi tamu/ rabuon ๐ฅ processing factory. Looks funny, but tastes good.
#EU
๐ช๐บ supported investment with 1 Mio Euro seed money. ๐ฉ๐ช Amb happy that crisps machine is coming from Dรผsseldorf โ๏ธ
You see we had some fun this morning
@NationFmKE
. Even if it was mapema sana...Thx
@MariamBishar
and
@brian_aseli
for hosting me, discussing climate, ๐ฉ๐ช ๐ฐ๐ช relations and music. Asante dj energy kwa musiki - we'll do some work hivi karibuni on your jazz selection ๐
#MorningFix