President William Ruto departed for Moscow on Tuesday evening to attend the Third Russia–Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum on 28–30 October, aiming to expand export markets, attract investment and create jobs.
According to a press release posted by State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed on X, Ruto will advance Kenya’s economic interests as African Union champion on the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He will push for greater access for tea, coffee, cut flowers, fresh produce and value-added products while seeking investment in agro-processing, manufacturing, energy and infrastructure.
Partnerships in artificial intelligence, digital innovation and technology transfer are also on the agenda, alongside efforts to secure affordable agricultural inputs and strengthen food security.
At the Africa–Russia Business Roundtable, Kenya will be positioned as a competitive investment destination and gateway to African markets through joint ventures that boost local industries and higher-value exports.
Kenya’s trade deficit with Russia narrowed sharply in 2025 to roughly $278 million from about $541 million in 2024, after imports fell from nearly $590 million to $330 million, according to United Nations Comtrade and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics data.
Exports rose modestly to $52 million from about $48 million, remaining heavily concentrated in tea, coffee and cut flowers while imports are dominated by cereals, mainly wheat, and fertilisers.
Ruto skipped the 2023 St Petersburg summit, where only 17 African heads of state attended compared with 43 in Sochi in 2019, amid criticism of Russia’s exit from the Black Sea grain deal.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi is already in Moscow and is expected to hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Kenya is simultaneously accelerating value addition in tea and coffee, with targets to raise processed exports and triple coffee production by 2028, while diversifying markets after the AGOA programme lapsed.
The summit, co-chaired by Vladimir Putin and Burundi’s Évariste Ndayishimiye, is expected to adopt a 2027–2029 partnership action plan and a declaration on civilian artificial intelligence, with representatives from nearly 50 African countries participating.
