The United States President, Joe Biden, has nominated former Hewlett Packard (HP) computers Chief Executive Officer, Meg Whitman, as the next America Ambassador to Kenya.
Whitman is a business executive who has held high-profile corporate roles in the past and is currently a board member for General Motors and National Board Chair at Teach for America.
Her rich history in the business world is also linked to the video streaming platform, Quibi, launched in 2020.
The business mogul also had an interest in politics, having unsuccessfully contested for the position of Governor of California in 2010 on a Republican party ticket.
She lost to Democrat Jerry Brown despite staging one of the most expensive campaigns in the history of California.
The highly ranked business figure shifted her allegiance from the Republicans after she endorsed Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 for the White House race against Donald Trump.
She also endorsed Democrat Joe Biden against Donald Trump at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in 2020.
The short-lived dalliance with the Democrats is believed to have earned her the coveted ambassadorial position, becoming one of the few Republicans considered by Biden for the high-profile government appointments.
Whitman quit supporting Republican presidential candidates in 2016 after the party opted to support Trump, who she termed as a dictator and likened him to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.
The appointment comes more than 11 months after the former US Ambassador to Kenya, Kyle McCarter, resigned following the assumption of US presidency office by Biden.
Eric Kneedler has been holding the position in an acting capacity since the resignation of McCarter in January 2021.
Kneedler formerly served in the same office as Deputy Chief of Mission under McCarter, who was appointed by Donald Trump.
