Former United States Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman on Thursday, November 14, met with a top government official just a day after her resignation from the post.
Taking to her official page, Whitman revealed a meeting with Monica Juma, the National Security Adviser to President William Ruto in a post with a picture of the two. Juma gave flowers to the outgoing US Ambassador, and Whitman in her post thanked the security advisor and lauded her role as critical to the success of the diplomatic relations between the two nations.
“Ambassador Monica Juma has been critical to the success of the United States and Kenya relationship in my time here. She is a true champion of Kenyan security and I will greatly miss working with her,” Whitman stated.
The details of the meeting remain unclear, with the post marking the first time Whitman has spoken up since her announcement on Wednesday that she had already submitted her resignation notice to President Biden.
Her resignation came just a week after Donald Trump won the US national elections and is set to make a historic return to the Oval Office in January.
Immediately after Trump's win, Kenyans who were unsatisfied with Whitman's relationship with the Kenya Kwanza Government started calling for her dismissal. The resentment towards Whitman boiled over following the Gen Z protests in June, with many Kenyans alleging that she had maintained silence on the extrajudicial killings and faulted her for colluding with the government.
In her resignation on Wednesday, Whitman termed her role as a US Ambassador as having been an "honour and privilege" as she had been able to strengthen the relationship between the two nations.
She went further to highlight some of her biggest achievements in the office, pointing out specific missions she had been a part of, including helping in the eradication of serious illnesses in Kenya as well as alleviating the devastating outcomes of floods in Kenya.
"From delivering emergency funding to alleviate catastrophic flooding in 2023 to the ongoing eradication of malaria, HIV, and MPOX, the US government prioritizes the health and welfare of our friends in Kenya," read part of her statement.
Whitman also listed economic achievements made as a result of the democratic relations shared between the two nations, including the decision by the US administration to elevate Kenya as its first major non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa.
"Trade, jobs, and US investment in Kenya are at historic highs because of our efforts. We also responded to the skyrocketing demand for our consular services, reducing wait times for nonimmigrant visa appointments from more than two years to about two months," Whitman noted.
