Visiting Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló inspects the Guard of Honour at State House on January 25, 2025/PCS


Visiting Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embaló on Saturday received top military honours as he started his two-day tour of Kenya.

Embaló was accorded a 21-gun salute and also inspected a military guard of honour during the state reception at State House, Nairobi.

After the reception, President William Ruto and  Embaló went into bilateral talks with top government officials from both sides at the State House.

The gun salute and the military guard of honour are the highest honours given to visiting heads of state and government.

This is the second time that  Embaló has visited Kenya in less than three years.

 Embaló was the last Head of State on a State Visit to Kenya ahead of the August 9, 2022, general elections.
 
He was hosted at that time by Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta who also honoured  Embaló with a 21-gun salute.

President Embaló was also in Kenya during the inauguration of President Ruto on September 13, 2022.

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Embaló's state visit comes nearly a year after President Ruto toured Guinea Bissau for a three-day state visit last April.

During the visit, Ruto held bilateral talks with President Embalóto enhance trade relations and strengthen private sector participation in agriculture, manufacturing and technology transfer.

The visit also focused on strengthening diplomatic and socio-economic relations.

A dispatch from State House last year said Kenya and Guinea-Bissau agreed to implement far-reaching policies to boost trade between the two countries.

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President Ruto said that while the trade volume between the two countries was low, there was potential for improvement.

He cited the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement which is poised to enhance commerce.

"Kenya and Guinea-Bissau are keen on implementing the Memorandum of Understanding that established a Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) signed in 2022,'' Ruto said then.

He explained that enhanced collaboration between the private sectors of both nations would significantly boost trade volumes.