VISUALISED: Ruto Upgrades State House Cabros Again

The cabro terrace has been revamped from its original rectangular pattern to an edgy configuration and takes a darker hue in terms of colour compared to the previous cabro that sent tongues wagging on social media in February 2023.

Swipe to see the photos of the State House cabro surface before and after the makeover

The first revamp which took place after President Ruto assumed office saw State House shift from an asphalt tarmac that spanned different regimes in the country to the cabro surface.

The courtyard, which hosts a wide range of State House events, is now covered with a dark-grey cabro, though it was questioned by some hawk-eyed netizens who failed to understand why the cabro replaced the traditional tarmac, given cabro carries with it durability concerns.

They argued that the lifespan of cabro surfaces will be short-lived and subsequently cost Kenyan taxpayers more money in repairing them.  

In addition, some Kenyans raised concerns about the cost implications of the facelift amid the tough economic situation facing Kenya and Kenya Kwanza's austerity measures as proclaimed by President Ruto.

Aerial view of a guard of honour at State House on August 21, 2023. /PCS

4 Deals Ruto Signed With Indonesia

Nonetheless, Kenya signed four Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with Indonesia following bilateral talks between President Widodo and his host Ruto at State House, with the two leaders' discussions, according to Ruto, covering trade and investment as well as collaboration in higher education, basic education, and vaccine development.

The first MOU on Cooperation in Energy is set to facilitate investment in geothermal energy, transmission and distribution of the power generated.

Kenya and the Southeast Asian country also signed a Cooperation Agreement in mining and geology which will involve joint studies, knowledge sharing, and capacity building between the two countries.

“Our two nations have also concluded an MOU between the Kenya Pharmacy and Poisons Board and the Indonesia Food and Drug Authority, which will facilitate the strengthening, promotion, development, and implementation of regulatory cooperation in pharmaceutical products,” President Ruto said in a press briefing after the meeting.

Nairobi and Jakarta also signed an MOU that establishes a framework between Kenya Biovax and Indonesia’s BioFarma for cooperation in technology transfer, contract manufacturing, registration, supply, and marketing of vaccines portfolio that will be manufactured by BioFarma in the Republic of Kenya, has also been executed.

President Ruto announced that they had additionally signed a Letter of Intent to strengthen collaboration on the promotion of investment flows between Kenya and Indonesia.

“Our respective ministers will continue to engage in bilateral discussions to conclude additional frameworks of cooperation in agriculture, and education, among others,” he added.

Further, additional agreements were signed in the oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, edible oils and agriculture, including livestock exports and apparel production sectors.

“We have additionally discussed the importance of entering a Bilateral Investment Treaty that will provide a stable and predictable investment environment which is a precondition for accelerated Private Secretor Investment. We have tasked our joint teams to finalize the elaboration of this instrument within the next 90 days,” said Ruto.

Kenya at the same time committed to negotiating a preferential Trade Agreement with Indonesia. President Ruto said the agreement will comply with the East African Community (EAC) and continental trade regulations.

President Ruto also made Indonesians smile by scrapping visa restrictions so that they can travel to Kenya visa-free.