NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit arrived in Nairobi for talks with President William Ruto, with his country’s December elections and its potential role in supplying crude oil to Kenya’s planned Lamu refinery expected to dominate the agenda.

📻 Breaking It Down

Kiir’s visit comes less than two weeks after South Sudan dissolved its Transitional Government of National Unity and formed a caretaker administration, making the trip his first known foreign visit since the political transition.

The South Sudanese leader was received at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku and officials from the South Sudan Embassy in Nairobi.

According to South Sudan’s Presidential Press Secretary Arek Ajou Deng, Kiir’s discussions with Ruto will focus on bilateral relations, preparations for the December 22 elections and efforts to secure regional and continental support for a peaceful and credible electoral process.

📌 What You Need to Know

The visit comes at a critical point for South Sudan, which is scheduled to hold its first elections since independence in 2011 on December 22.

The elections have been overshadowed by political and security tensions, with regional and continental actors closely monitoring developments in Juba. The African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development and other partners have recently reaffirmed their support for South Sudan’s political transition and preparations for the polls.

Kenya has previously played a significant role in South Sudan’s peace and political processes, including through the Tumaini Initiative, which was launched in Nairobi in 2024 to bring holdout groups into negotiations over the country’s peace process.

The two presidents are also expected to discuss economic and infrastructure cooperation, with the newly launched Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Special Economic Zone in Lamu emerging as a key area of interest.

South Sudan is being considered as one of the potential regional sources of crude oil for the planned refinery, which is intended to serve markets across East and Central Africa.

The discussions come days after Ruto and Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote broke ground on the Sh2 trillion Lamu refinery project.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya