American Philanthropist Bill Gates arrived in Kenya on Tuesday, November 15 morning ahead of his anticipated engagement with various delegations across the country.
According to reports, Gates will engage national and county government officials over various projects he is undertaking in the country.
During his visit, the billionaire will focus on climate change initiatives in the country with a particular focus on farmers.
Gates is scheduled to have an extensive tour of Makueni county later, on Tuesday, November 15, where he will meet with select farmers from Kathonzweni and governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.
In the lower Eastern county, the philanthropist behind Microsoft will also visit the Kathonzweni health centre.
At the health facility, he will also engage will various health workers in talks.
Additionally, Gates is expected to engage university students at the University of Nairobi (UoN) in a hybrid conference to be moderated by former Citizen TV journalist Uduak Amimo on Thursday, November 17.
Discussions will revolve around climate change and food security.
“The hybrid event will include a live audience of 500 students from universities in Nairobi and a virtual audience of students from universities across the continent.
“The 60-minute moderated town hall format will focus on the challenges and opportunities in food security and climate adaptation in Africa,” UoN stated.
Gates’ visit to Kenya came barely days after announcing Ksh170 billion in funding for climate change programs in Africa.
Kenyan farmers were selected to benefit from the funding which will be used to develop technologies that can help farmers predict weather patterns.
“Additional investments included in the commitment announced will support the development of new applications of digital technologies to ensure smallholder farmers can anticipate and respond to climate threats.
“This includes an innovative weather intelligence platform developed through a new partnership between the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and TomorrowNow, which provides climate-smart agriculture strategies to farmers in East Africa via text messages,” Gate Foundation announced.
