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Kenyan President’s Economic Diplomacy Agenda Will be Tested in Beijing This Week

by Eric Olander
Kenyan President William Ruto met with Li Xi, a senior member of the Communist Party of China (top) and visited Chinese energy and telecommunications companies on October 16, 2023. Images via @WilliamsRuto.

Among the dozens of leaders attending this week’s Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, few are under as much pressure to deliver tangible results from the event as Kenyan President William Ruto.

Back home, the Kenyan economy is in serious trouble amid rising unemployment, surging national debt and a currency that sunk to a new record low against the dollar this week.

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