Meg Whitman has spoken about the White House phone call that culminated in US President Joe Biden nominating her as America's Ambassador to Kenya back in December 2021.
Speaking in a podcast with African journalist Claude Grunitzky, Whitman revealed that she received a call from the White House with President Joe Biden's team having concluded that she was the best person to represent America's interests in Nairobi based on her rich tech experience.
According to Whitman, the White House believed that Kenya is the African tech capital and her career background fitted the task at hand like a glove.
“The White House gave me a call and said, Meg, we would like you to go Kenya, and the pitch stated Kenya is the tech capital of Kenya and you have a good background in tech.”
Prior to being appointed as the ambassador to Kenya, Meg served as the Chief Executive Officer of E-Bay, a popular e-commerce site.
Additionally, she had also held notable roles at Hewlett Packard (HP), Walt Disney among other blue chip companies.
According to Whitman, the White House confirmed harbouring a particular special interest in fostering strong relationships between Africa, and the US’s tech industry, thrusting her to the top of President Joe Biden's shortlist.
Whitman further explained that the White House informed her of the pressing need to pay more attention to Africa. In Washington's view, having someone with her background would send a message that the United States was serious in its quest to build strong ties in Africa.
"We really need to pay more attention to Africa and we think sending someone with your background would speak volumes to the continent, and we would like you to consider it," Whitman quoted the White House.
The former Silicon Valley Executive that her background in the corporate world had prepared her adequately for the envoy position.
Whitman arrived in Kenya back in August 2022. However since touching base, her record in Nairobi has been a mixed bag.
On the one hand, she has been praised for building Kenya's profile as the top investment destination in Africa and strengthening the Kenyan government's relationship with the Biden administration.
For instance, she was credited with facilitating President William Ruto’s State Visit to the United states in May 2024. This meant that Ruto became the first Kenyan president to be invited to the US on a State visit in over two decades.
However, she has also faced political headwinds for making controversial political statements such as describing the 2022 Kenyan presidential election as the most transparent in Africa.
This proclamation triggered political backlash including from Azimio leader Raila Odinga who told her to 'Shut Up'.
