NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 5 – South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit arrived in Nairobi for talks with President William Ruto, with his country’s December elections and its potential role in supplying crude oil to Kenya’s planned Lamu refinery expected to dominate the agenda.Kiir’s visit comes less than two weeks after South Sudan dissolved its Transitional Government of National Unity and formed a caretaker administration, making the trip his first known foreign visit since the political transition.The South Sudanese leader was received at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku and officials from the South Sudan Embassy in Nairobi.According to South Sudan’s Presidential Press Secretary Arek Ajou Deng, Kiir’s discussions with Ruto will focus on bilateral relations, preparations for the December 22 elections and efforts to secure regional and continental support for a peaceful and credible electoral process.The visit comes at a critical point for South Sudan, which is scheduled to hold its first elections since independence in 2011 on December 22.The elections have been overshadowed by political and security tensions, with regional and continental actors closely monitoring developments in Juba. The African Union, Intergovernmental Authority on Development and other partners have recently reaffirmed their support for South Sudan’s political transition and preparations for the polls.Kenya has previously played a significant role in South Sudan’s peace and political processes, including through the Tumaini Initiative, which was launched in Nairobi in 2024 to bring holdout groups into negotiations over the country’s peace process.The two presidents are also expected to discuss economic and infrastructure cooperation, with the newly launched Dangote East Africa Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals Special Economic Zone in Lamu emerging as a key area of interest.South Sudan is being considered as one of the potential regional sources of crude oil for the planned refinery, which is intended to serve markets across East and Central Africa.The discussions come days after Ruto and Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote broke ground on the Sh2 trillion Lamu refinery project.The facility, which is expected to have a processing capacity of 700,000 barrels of crude oil a day, is designed to draw supplies from multiple sources rather than relying solely on Kenyan crude.Ruto has said Kenya’s own crude from Turkana would form part of the supply chain, with the Government also engaging other oil-producing countries in the region and beyond.He has said Kenya and Dangote had agreed on plans for a pipeline linking Turkana to Lamu to transport Kenyan crude to the refinery. Ruto has also indicated that discussions are underway with neighbouring countries on additional crude supplies.For South Sudan, participation in the Lamu project could provide an additional export route and deepen its economic links with Kenya, particularly through the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) Corridor.The two countries have previously committed to strengthening infrastructure links along the corridor, which is intended to provide South Sudan with access to the Indian Ocean and facilitate regional trade.In 2023, Ruto and Kiir agreed to accelerate infrastructure projects linking the two countries, including the Nadapal-Nakodok road and a fibre-optic connection along the Eldoret-Juba route. They also discussed expanding bilateral trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area.Kiir’s latest visit therefore brings together two of the most significant issues in the relationship — South Sudan’s political transition and the expansion of economic and infrastructure ties with Kenya.His discussions with Ruto are also expected to assess how Nairobi can support Juba as it prepares for the December elections while advancing cooperation in energy, transport, trade and infrastructure.The visit follows Kiir’s departure from Juba on Sunday, where he was seen off by Caretaker Minister of Presidential Affairs Africano Mande Gedima and other senior government officials.For Kenya, deeper engagement with South Sudan could strengthen its position as a key transport and commercial gateway for the landlocked country, while Juba stands to gain from expanded access to regional infrastructure and markets.