Kenya set to become first non-European country to participate in Germany’s “Bürgerfest”

Kenya is set to make history as the first non-European country to participate in Germany’s Annual Citizen’s Festival, known as “Bürgerfest.”

During the event scheduled for 13th – 14th September in Berlin, Kenya will be seeking to reinforce cultural ties and boost tourism as well as trade and investment opportunities.

It will be the first time that an African nation is taking center stage at the two – day cultural event whose theme is “Pamoja – Stronger Together.”

Speaking ahead of the festival, PS Foreign Affairs Dr. Korir Sing’oei termed the event as a tangible and visible milestone in the growing relations between Kenya and Germany spanning over 60 years.

“Kenya views Germany as an indispensable partner in our ongoing journey to entrench sustainable development, shared prosperity and stability.

During this event, we shall have an opportunity to highlight our unique culture, including food, music, as well as investment opportunities to approximately 13,000 people drawn from Germany and the larger European region,” Sing’oei stated.

He added: “Since 1963, we have built robust cooperation with Germany in various areas of mutual interest including green energy and climate action; digital cooperation; skills development and labour; and on regional and international peace and security. We are eager to leverage the Bürgerfest platform to promote trade, investment, tourism, culture and people-to-people links.”

Germany is a leading foreign direct investor given the presence of over 100 German companies in the country, with investments worth Ksh 150 billion. Nairobi also hosts the largest office globally for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the regional office of Germany’s top trade promotion agency, AHK.

On his part, Principal Secretary for Tourism John Ololtua expressed enthusiasm for leveraging cultural diplomacy to strengthen ties between Kenya and Germany.

He underscored the role of cultural exchanges in promoting understanding and cooperation, citing initiatives like the Goethe-Institute in Nairobi and the Nairobi International Film Festival as key platforms for cultural engagement.

Ololtua added that the event will also provide an opportunity to grow tourist arrivals from Germany being a key source market for Kenya.

“In the last financial year, Kenya attracted 81,359 German tourists compared to 66,064 in the previous year marking a 23.2% growth. We want to build on this momentum and we see the Bürgerfest as an opportunity to further accelerate this growth,” said Ololtua.

The German Presidency holds the Annual Citizen’s Festival in Schloss Bellevue, the official residence, to celebrate cultural diversity as well as recognize the service of German nationals engaged in philanthropic work. Each year, the German Presidency chooses a partner country to showcase their culture at the Citizen’s Festival.

Kenya’s selection as the first non-European country to be featured was based on the long-standing diplomatic and economic ties with Germany.

The first day of the event is attended by about 5,000 invited guests including the Federal President whereas the second day is open to the public, attracting over 13,000 visitors.

The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) CEO June Chepkemei underscored Kenya’s growing popularity as a destination for German and European tourists, with the Board keen to build on this through participation at various travel promotion events such as the ITB Berlin which attracts global audiences.

On the sidelines of the Bürgerfest, Kenya and Germany will sign a Labour Agreement that will facilitate the migration of technical and skilled labour for TVET to work in enterprises in Germany.

We are grateful for Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government that are collaborating in the success of this event.

This includes; State Department for Foreign Affairs, State Department for Diaspora, State Department for Tourism, State Department for Culture, Arts and Heritage, State Department for Investment Promotion, State Department for Sports, State Department for Agriculture, State Department for Labour and Skills Development, Kenya Tourism Board, Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency; Agriculture and Food Authority, New Kenya Planters Cooperation Union, Kenya Tea Development Agency, Tea Board of Kenya, Kenya Investment Authority, Bomas of Kenya and National Museums of Kenya.

Equally, private sector contribution is deeply acknowledged including that of Safaricom, Safaricom Investment Co-operative and the Kenya Commercial Bank.