President William Ruto may shift his foreign policy to the US if the recent meetings with American officials are anything to go by.
In September 2022, US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, urged Ruto to offer Americans and the Chinese equal opportunities as the latter was favoured more by former heads of state, Uhuru Kenyatta and Mwai Kibaki.
Since his inauguration, Ruto has held eight meetings with high-ranking US officials, including President Joe Biden himself.
However, foreign affairs analysts who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke stated that it may be too early to ascertain whether the meetings indicate a shift in foreign policy.
John Gachie opined that Ruto may be using the meetings to understand and address concerns the US have.
On the other hand, Prof Israel Kodiaga expressed that the US could be reengineering itself in a bid to enhance its cooperation with Kenya.
"America is now keen to relate with the president on issues that matter, such as infrastructure, health and investments- an area where the US has not been very useful. For Ruto, he may be trying to project himself as an African stateman,' he stated.
October 7
Ruto met with US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, at State House, Nairobi, where the duo discussed the conflict in parts of Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Also present at the meeting was Ambassador Meg Whitman, who met Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua a day before. Gachagua and Whitman discussed trade and other investment opportunities in Kenya.
October 3
The president met with a delegation from the US Congress at State House. The visiting delegation of three was led by Oklahoma senator, Jim Inhofe, who was accompanied by Meg Whitman to Kenya. Discussions centred around partnerships in security, health and trade.
Meeting 2
In separate talks, Ruto held discussions with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where the duo discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Blinken, via the phone call, stated that the US would help Kenya to solve the fertiliser crisis that has been affecting countries all over the world. The shortage was attributed to the war in Ukraine.
September 27
On this day, Ruto met ambassador Whitman and other officials from the US Embassy, where talks centred on trade ties and the cooperation of the two countries in agriculture and health. Also discussed was the security situation in select countries in the Horn of Africa.
Interestingly, Ruto had unveiled his Cabinet on the same day, with some nominees gracing the diplomatic meeting. Those present were Sports CS nominee Ababu Namwamba and his Foreign Affairs counterpart, Alfred Mutua.
September 23
While on his first foreign trip as the head of State, President Ruto was hosted by Biden at the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Ruto was accompanied by First Lady Rachel Ruto.
"Kenya will continue expanding its strategic partnership with the United States of America to advance peace and prosperity in Africa," Ruto stated after the meeting.
September 22
While in New York, Ruto was once again hosted by US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, with the two pledging to foster partnerships in various economic areas. Discussions centred around trade, food security, investment and the security situation in the Horn of Africa.
September 21
Eight days after his inauguration, the president held a roundtable meeting with American entrepreneurs drawn from the US Chamber of Commerce.
Talks between the two delegations focused on US investments in Kenya aimed at creating employment for jobless Kenyans with a focus on investments in fertiliser production.
September 13
Hours after his inauguration at Kasarani Stadium, Ruto hosted Ambassador Whitman and special envoys in Biden's administration at State House, Nairobi.
Also present at the meeting was US Trade Representative, Katherine Tai. The meeting was centred around fostering trade partnerships and enhancing security in the Horn of Africa.
Prior to Ruto's inauguration, Whitman led a delegation to meet Ruto at the official residence of the deputy president at Karen on August 18.
China and US are Kenya's major donors and investment partners. While campaigning for the presidency, Ruto had pledged to review Kenya's relations with China, accusing the Asian nation of overburdening Kenya with credit facilities.
However, the President, through National Assembly speaker, Moses Wetangula, allayed the fears, stating that Kenya would enhance its ties with the Chinese.
"I assured China's ambassador, Zhou Pingjian, that the new administration of President William Ruto has no plans whatsoever to scale down our collaboration with the Republic of China," Wetangula stated after meeting the Chinese envoy on Friday, September 23.
