Published On 4/22/2026
Kenyan President William Ruto concluded – today, Wednesday – a three-day official visit to Italy, during which he met with President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The visit witnessed the adoption of a bilateral action plan for the period 2026-2029 and the signing of eight agreements in the fields of technical education, environment, defense and scientific research, within the framework of the Italian “Mattei Initiative” for Africa.
Ruto began his program on Monday by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Piazza Venezia, then moved to the Quirinale Palace, where Mattarella received him for lunch, before holding bilateral talks with Meloni at the Chigi Palace.
Action plan within the “MATI Initiative”
The two leaders announced an action plan for the period 2026-2029, which falls within the “Matti Plan for Africa” launched by Meloni in January 2024, and which Rome is presenting as a framework for partnerships with the African continent in the areas of development, addressing migration, and energy security. According to a statement by the Italian Prime Minister’s Office, the plan will include periodic consultations between the two foreign ministries and a regular review of implementation through bilateral mechanisms.
Meloni described Kenya as a “pivotal country” in the initiative and Italy’s “gateway” to the economies of East Africa, while Ruto stressed that his country intends to engage in the digital economy and artificial intelligence, referring to six decades of bilateral relations between the two countries.
Signed agreements
The two countries signed eight agreements on the first day of the visit, the most prominent of which is an agreement to modernize between 60 and 70 technical and vocational training institutions in Kenya, at a cost of approximately $62.7 million, and includes student and academic exchange programs.
The talks also dealt with the Aror, Kimwareh and Itari dam projects in Kenya, which remained suspended due to legal and financial disputes with Italian contractors and were linked to corruption files during the era of former President Uhuru Kenyatta. Ruto announced that the outstanding issues in the Itari Dam project were settled after an agreement with the Italian company and the withdrawal of international arbitration cases, noting that these dams fall within a government plan to expand irrigated areas to 2.5 million acres within seven years.
The agreements also included a defense cooperation agreement, which the joint statement stated would guide training and capacity building initiatives on the basis of transparency and respect for legal frameworks, and include maritime security and combating terrorism.
On the technological level, Meloni announced the extension of new branches of the “Blue Raman” submarine fiber optic cable, which connects India to Europe via the Middle East and the Mediterranean, with Kenya becoming one of its stations on the eastern African coast. It also announced the transformation of the Luigi Broglio Space Center in Malindi into a continental center for training in space sciences and Earth observation.
The two countries also agreed to link cooperation with the African Continental Free Trade Area (ZLECAF) to support value chains and regional integration, while a Kenyan-Italian business forum was held on the sidelines of the visit, which dealt with investment in infrastructure, renewable energy and agricultural industries.
On the second day, Ruto met with the Speaker of the Italian House of Representatives, Lorenzo Fontana, and gave a lecture at the Luis Guido Carli University in which he pledged to transform Kenya into an advanced economy “within one generation,” before meeting with the Kenyan community residing in Italy as part of activities organized by the Medor Foundation.
Ruto’s visit to Rome and the accompanying agreements and action plan show that Kenyan-Italian relations are entering a new phase of strategic partnership, going beyond traditional bilateral files to touch on regional issues such as maritime security, energy and migration. It also reflects Rome’s keenness to make the “Matti Initiative” a major platform to enhance its presence in Africa, while Nairobi seeks to invest in this partnership to support the economic and technological transformation that Ruto aspires to during the next decade.
Source: The island + African press + Italian press
