South Korea's President Park Geun-hye arrives in Nairobi today for a three-day visit.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also land in Nairobi on Wednesday for a three-day official visit.
While in Nairobi, the Korean leader is expected to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta, business leaders and later deliver a speech at United Nations office. According to Korean ambassador to Kenya Young Dae Kwon, Ms Park will arrive with a delegation of more than 200 people, including businessmen and government officials.
South Korea shares a lot with Kenya on the historical front but the reality today is that the two nations, separated by over 10,000km of land and water, are hugely different economically, with the former caressing the first world as the latter remains stuck in the third world.
Kenya's founding President Jomo Kenyatta reigned at the same time as the founder of South Korea's third republic, Park Chun-hee, father to President Park Geun-hye who will be the first South Korean Head of State to visit Kenya. Both Kenyatta and Park were elected in 1963 and died in 1978 and 1979 respectively.
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Close to four decades later, the offspring of the two Presidents took control of their countries with Park Geun-hye taking the reins of power in Seoul on February 26, 2013 and Kenyatta taking the oath of office as Kenya's fourth President on April 9, 2013.
Coincidentally, both Uhuru and Park are children of their countries' most popular first ladies, Mama Ngina Kenyatta and the late Yuk Young-soo, who fell to an assassin's bullet aimed at her husband in 1974 when Park was just 22.
Nothing better illustrates the fact that South Korea and Kenya were on their marks together at the starting blocks in 1963 with Kenya at a slight advantage over the US$10,000 (approx. Sh1,020,000) at the current exchange rate Kenya loaned South Korea at the time, complete with relief food.
But here we are today, struggling at the tail end of the development queue weighed down by corruption, tribal nationalism and unemployment.
South Korea and other Asian tigers on the other hand promptly adopted ambitious development plans hinged on manufacturing and export. Such was the theme of the Saemaul Undong (new community) movement launched in 1970 by President Park's father to modernise the rural economy.
The movement saw the central government provide a fixed amount of raw materials free of charge to participating villages and entrusted them to build infrastructure such as roads, bridges and irrigation schemes. In Kenya, counties such as Siaya and Ugenya whose governors visited South Korea to steal the magic are experimenting Saemauil Undong with considerable success.
Today, South Korea sits at the high table of G20 economies as the world's 14th largest economy.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also land in Nairobi on Wednesday for a three-day official visit.
While in Nairobi, the Korean leader is expected to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta, business leaders and later deliver a speech at United Nations office. According to Korean ambassador to Kenya Young Dae Kwon, Ms Park will arrive with a delegation of more than 200 people, including businessmen and government officials.
South Korea shares a lot with Kenya on the historical front but the reality today is that the two nations, separated by over 10,000km of land and water, are hugely different economically, with the former caressing the first world as the latter remains stuck in the third world.
Kenya's founding President Jomo Kenyatta reigned at the same time as the founder of South Korea's third republic, Park Chun-hee, father to President Park Geun-hye who will be the first South Korean Head of State to visit Kenya. Both Kenyatta and Park were elected in 1963 and died in 1978 and 1979 respectively.
READ MORE
Couple's joy as President Uhuru Kenyatta visits their modest home
Nostalgia as Nakuru hosts Madaraka Day for first time
SGR heads to completion ahead of schedule
Close to four decades later, the offspring of the two Presidents took control of their countries with Park Geun-hye taking the reins of power in Seoul on February 26, 2013 and Kenyatta taking the oath of office as Kenya's fourth President on April 9, 2013.
Coincidentally, both Uhuru and Park are children of their countries' most popular first ladies, Mama Ngina Kenyatta and the late Yuk Young-soo, who fell to an assassin's bullet aimed at her husband in 1974 when Park was just 22.
Nothing better illustrates the fact that South Korea and Kenya were on their marks together at the starting blocks in 1963 with Kenya at a slight advantage over the US$10,000 (approx. Sh1,020,000) at the current exchange rate Kenya loaned South Korea at the time, complete with relief food.
But here we are today, struggling at the tail end of the development queue weighed down by corruption, tribal nationalism and unemployment.
South Korea and other Asian tigers on the other hand promptly adopted ambitious development plans hinged on manufacturing and export. Such was the theme of the Saemaul Undong (new community) movement launched in 1970 by President Park's father to modernise the rural economy.
The movement saw the central government provide a fixed amount of raw materials free of charge to participating villages and entrusted them to build infrastructure such as roads, bridges and irrigation schemes. In Kenya, counties such as Siaya and Ugenya whose governors visited South Korea to steal the magic are experimenting Saemauil Undong with considerable success.
Today, South Korea sits at the high table of G20 economies as the world's 14th largest economy.