A high-level official visit to Hungary is scheduled for March this year.
The Kenya Embassy in Vienna, which is also accredited to Budapest, in a social media post on LinkedIn said preparations are underway for the “return high-level official visit”.
The communication followed Deputy Ambassador Valerie Rugene’s representation of Ambassador Maurice Makoloo at the annual convening of New Year address to the diplomatic corps by Hungarian President Hamas Sulyok on January 16.
“The annual event provides a platform for the President to give an overview of the state of the nation and to also outline the government’s foreign policy priorities and focus for the year. In his address the President emphasized the importance of international cooperation and strengthening multilateralism to solve pressing global issues,” the mission said in a statement.
This will be a reciprocation one of the of high-level visits by officials from Hungary, among them President János Áder.
President Ader visited Kenya on January 16, 2022 for a four-day state visit and was hosted by then President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Áder became the first Hungarian President to visit Kenya since independence, even though the presidency in Hungary is largely ceremonial, with powers bestowed on the Prime Minister.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei on Wednesday told DiploBrief there are no plans for President William Ruto to travel to Budapest.
Notably, the European nation became the sixth country to set up its diplomatic presence in Nairobi in 1964 shortly after Kenya’s Independence in 1963.
In bid to deepen diplomatic relations, President Uhuru announced plans to establish an embassy in Budapest “to increase its [Kenya’s] presence in Europe”.
“It is our desire to have a greater presence in Central and Eastern Europe, and I’m glad to announce today that Kenya is ready to establish a diplomatic mission in Budapest at the earliest opportunity,” Uhuru said at the time.
The President added that Kenya is particularly keen on creating more collaborations between its vibrant private sector and their Hungarian counterparts.
He said the collaboration will serve as an avenue of fully exploiting the immense potential for trade and investment that exists between the two countries.
HIGH-LEVEL VISITS
The President’s visit was followed by others that include by Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament László Kövér in March 2023 and the Minister for Agriculture of Hungary in March 2024.
Following the meeting with the Hungarian Speaker, President Ruto directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora to open an embassy in Budapest in a year or two.
Ruto said the embassy would help enhance the relations between the two states.
PS Sing’oei told DiploBrief the embassy could perhaps be opened at the end of the year as budget cuts slowed the process down.
HUNGARY AID
The Hungarian government gave Sh6.2 billion support to set up the Dedan Kimathi Comprehensive Cancer Management in Nyeri, the establishment of the Kabonyo Regional Service and Training Centre of Excellence and the rehabilitation of the Ahero Irrigation Scheme in Kisumu County.
Hungary Foreign Affairs Minister Péter Szijjártó visited in March 2024 and held talks with Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi, and the opening of an embassy in Budapest reiterated.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Ambassador Rugene met with Head of Africa Department at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Katalin Nyirati and discussed strengthening of cooperation in agriculture, education, nuclear, health and trade.
Education is among the key areas of bilateral engagements, with students forming the majority of Kenya’s diaspora in Hungary.
The Hungarian government offers 200 scholarships to Kenyans annually,
“Education being one of the most important areas of collaboration with Hungary, Amb. Valerie Rugene met with representatives from the leadership of the Association of Kenyan students in Hungary (AKESH) to discuss challenges being faced by students on scholarship and areas of improvement,” the statement said.
During the 2022 visit, President Uhuru thanked the Hungarian government for doubling scholarships given to Kenyan students annually from 100 to 200.
Uhuru said the opportunity will strengthen bilateral relations between Kenya and Hungary.
“We thank you and your administration for the kind gesture which will not only help strengthen our people-to-people collaboration but also enhance our two countries’ cooperation within the wider Kenya-European Union partnership,” Uhuru said.
