HARARE – Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has canceled a planned trip to Zimbabwe this week where he was to officially open the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF).
Kenyatta’s withdrawal follows the death of former Kenyan leader Mwai Kibaki last Thursday.
“President (Emmerson) Mnangagwa has announced that President Kenyatta is no longer coming for the ZITF as there is national bereavement in Kenya following the death of former President Mwai Kibaki,” said Nick Mangwana, the government spokesperson.
Kenyatta had been expected to officially open the trade exhibition on April 29 following an invitation extended by Mnangagwa in March. The ZITF starts on Tuesday.
Ahead of his planned trip, the government of Zimbabwe ordered the city of Bulawayo to rename one of its streets Kenyatta.
The 62nd edition of the ZITF will be run under the theme: “Rethink, Reimagine, Reinvent Value Chains for Economic Development.”
More than 500 exhibitors occupied the space, 71 of them exhibiting for the first time.
Fourteen foreign countries are also exhibiting – Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Belarus, Great Britain, Indonesia and Japan.
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga will speak at the International Business Conference (IBC) on Wednesday and at the first Connect Africa Symposium on Thursday.
- Kukurigo Updates
