Donald Yamamoto, the Acting Assistant United States' Secretary of State for African Affairs, has revealed three indicators of the special place that Kenya holds in the US.
First, Yamamoto revealed that Nairobi hosts the biggest United States Embassy in the entire continent.
"So, as you know, our American Embassy in Kenya is the largest in Africa," Yamamoto told journalists during a press briefing.
[caption caption="unidentified man hawking Kenyan and US flags in Nairobi"]
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According to Yamamoto, this is not by coincidence but design: "There’s a reason for that; it’s because Kenya is a critical country and it’s an important regional hub."
"It’s not only for economic development, institutions, but also because of its contributions to African Union and United Nations operations in the area, and it hosts a number of international organizations," he added.
Secondly, although the US does not engage in many infrastructural development projects in Africa, however, Kenya is an exception.
"As you know, the United States, we don’t do a lot of infrastructure development, except in Kenya, of course, you have the Bechtel road construction between Mombasa and Nairobi, which is probably a major U.S. infrastructure program."
Lastly, Yamamoto revealed that the US Ambassador to Kenya since 2012, Robert Frank Godec, is perhaps one of the most reliable envoys in Africa.
"Ambassador Bob Godec is probably our most senior ranking officer in the region, and we have 44 embassies and 6 consulates and offices."
He further added: "We really look to him as kind of the model for leadership and not only support for his people but the engagement."
The revelation of this special relationship came days before Rex Wayne Tillerson, the United States Secretary of State, set off for a week-long Africa tour in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Chad, and Nigeria.
[caption caption="Kenya and US military chiefs signing an agreement"]
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Kenya's Opposition led by Raila Odinga has in the past criticized the US Embassy in Nairobi and Ambassador Godec in particular for allegedly being partisan and lacking goodwill to instill democratic governance.
