King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands were accorded a red-carpet reception on Tuesday March 18, 2025 at State House Nairobi during their four-day state visit to Kenya.
President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto welcomed the King and Queen, who were accompanied by other Dutch leaders in a colourful event at State House.
The red carpet State welcome was accompanied by a display of Kenya’s military traditions and precision which saw the royal family accorded the ceremonial 21-gun salute.
The gun salute was fired in honour of the distinguished guests symbolising respect and diplomatic ties between Kenya and Netherlands.
King Willem-Alexander then proceeded to inspect the Guard of Honour, that was mounted by the Kenya Defence Forces (Kenya Army).
After the Guard of Honor, His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Maxima greeted other leaders present during the event.
This follows the arrival of the Dutch royal family at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi on Monday evening.
Upon landing in Nairobi, they were received by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe among other government officials.
The Dutch royal will engage in high-level meetings with President Ruto and other government officials to discuss collaboration in governance, peace and security, and economic development.
At the same time, the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) in sectors such as tourism, trade, and agriculture will strengthen investment opportunities and business partnerships between the two countries.
The King and Queen will plant a tree in Nairobi as part of the Netherlands’ contribution to President Ruto’s campaign to grow 15 billion trees by 2032 to increase the country’s forest cover.
