PHOTOS: King Willem-Alexander inspects guard of honour at State House
King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, inspected a guard of honour mounted by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) at State House, Nairobi.
The Dutch King arrived in the country together with his spouse Queen Máxima on Monday night, accompanied by three ministers; Caspar Veldkamp (Foreign Affairs), Reinette Klever (Foreign Trade and Development), and Ruben Brekelmans (Defence).
King Willem-Alexander receives 21 gun-salute
He was also honoured with a 21-gun salute at State House.
The royal couple was received by President William Ruto at State House a few minutes before 9:00 am. They are in the country for a four-day state visit, at the invitation of President Ruto.
After the welcoming ceremony, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima and the ministers accompanying them are now meeting with Ruto and his Cabinet Secretaries, after which the Head of State and the King will give a short statement to the media.
King’s Tuesday schedule
Following the delegation meeting, King Willem-Alexander will then attend the signing of Memoranda of Understanding on tourism, trade, security, agriculture and fisheries.
In honour of those who contributed to Kenya’s freedom and independence, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
The royal couple will also speak with young Kenyans from a range of backgrounds, who will share their personal experiences and their ideas about Kenya’s future.
The dialogue will also touch on the human rights situation in Kenya, good governance, and democracy.
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 and help combat climate change, the King and Queen will plant a tree in Nairobi later on in the afternoon.
The initiative also underlines the country’s (Netherlands) efforts on nature conservation and its cooperation with Kenya on the climate agenda.
They will also have an opportunity to talk with people from the local community, who are deeply committed to protecting the forest.
Kenya currently leads the way in Africa in climate adaptation and mitigation.
It hosted the first Africa Climate Summit in 2023.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima will then attend the Business Forum, which will focus on the strong economic ties linking the Netherlands and Kenya and where delegates from the parallel missions can meet each other and their Kenyan partners.
More than 50 businesses, knowledge institutions, and NGOs will be joining the economic missions on sustainable agriculture and water.
During the forum, the King and Queen will discuss key partnerships between the Netherlands and Kenya in the areas of innovation and digitalisation in agriculture, logistics, healthcare, energy, and water.
They will also take part in a roundtable talk with CEOs on the opportunities and challenges associated with doing business in Kenya.
