The Russian government led by President Vladimir Putin sent 34,000 tonnes of fertiliser to Kenya which arrived on Monday, May 29.
On the same day, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited President William Ruto at State House, where the two held bilateral talks even though Nairobi kept mum on the fertiliser deal.
The visit was seen by many as having geopolitical ramifications since Russia is at war with Ukraine, an invasion that has negatively affected fertiliser supply in many African economies.
In a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke, a Russian company called Uralchem-Uralkali was the source of the gift from Russia with facilitation from the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP).
Uralchem-Uralkali Group is owned by Dmitry Mazepin who is a close confidante of Putin. He is under European Union (EU) sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
In order to remain in business, Mazepin handed over his company to Dmitry Tatyanin, the firm's chairman of the board of directors, and CEO Dmitry Konyaev.
“We also believe that today’s alarming global hunger crisis can only be alleviated by urgent and collective action on all levels.
“We look forward to seeing Kenyan farmers putting the donated fertilisers to good use and reaping a fruitful harvest,” Konyanev stated in the statement.
Analysts Speak
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, governance and policy analyst Vincent Kimosop held that the deal was part of Russia’s strategy to curry favour with Ruto who has been receiving many guests from the West.
“Russia is seeking to shore up its international image.
“It’s all about the shift in global politics and countries advancing their interests,” stated Kimosop.
He saw Lavrov’s trip as a way for Russia to gain friendly countries in the international arena. Lavrov is Putin's point man in the global stage and has been Russia's Foreign Minister for 19 years since 2004.
“With the rising influence and attention the Kenyan president has, everybody would want to be part of that,” noted Kimosop.
“You align by aligning with the plan of the current administration and one of them is agriculture,” he added.
Governance expert Dr. Brian Mutie noted that Ruto was working with both the East and the West to his advantage.
“Ruto may be trying to find the balance so that he doesn’t offend any side.
“The country is engaging both sides and reaping maximum benefits in resource mobilisation,” Mutie divulged.
Notably, President Ruto has been receiving many global leaders including Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on May 18, Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on May 5, and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on May 3.
Fertiliser For Farmers
Since taking over power, President Ruto embarked on subsidising production rather than consumption as a lasting solution to food security in the country.
In January, the government launched a nationwide farmer registration programme. The aim was for the information to help the government plan on the number of farmers who require subsidised fertiliser.
In April, Ruto announced that five million farmers had been registered across the country.
In February 2023, he launched the fertiliser subsidy programme where the cost of fertiliser was reduced from Ksh6,000 per 50kg bag to Ksh3,500.
Interestingly, Kenya received 30,000 tonnes of grain from Ukraine, which is at war with Russia, on March 20, 2023.
