President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday left for the United States ahead of his meeting with President Trump at the White House.
Kenyans.co.ke has learned that Uhuru's itinerary will make him break tradition in that he will not attend social gatherings with Kenyans living there as has done during previous visits.
Kenya’s ambassador to the US Robinson Njeru Githae stated that time would not allow for the embassy in Washington DC to include an interactive session between the President and Kenyans in the US.
“The president will only be around for one or maybe one and half days and most of that time will be taken up by his meeting with his counterpart, President Donald Trump at the White House.
“The president expresses his regrets. He would have loved to meet with Kenyans because that is one his best moments whenever he visits abroad,” Mr Githae was quoted by the Nation.
The Head of State will not attend any multi-lateral or bi-lateral meetings this time round.
President Uhuru arrived in Washington DC on Saturday afternoon for the landmark official visit that will see him hold talks with US President Donald Trump and also meet executives of top US companies to promote Kenya as a preferred investment destination.
The President, accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, touched down at Dulles International Airport at 4:00 pm Washington DC time (11:00 pm, Nairobi time on Saturday) and was received by a team of senior US and Kenya government officials led by Kenya's ambassador to the US Githae.
Addressing the press in his office in Washington DC on Friday, a day before the President’s arrival, Amb. Githae said he is keen on ensuring that the visit is fruitful.
“We do not want this to be just a symbolic visit. We want this visit to have a lot of deliverables. There are a number of projects that we are negotiating. We hope they will be signed on Monday in the presence of President Kenyatta,” Amb. Githae stated
Amb. Githae pointed out that Kenya places a lot of emphasis on economic rather than political diplomacy, adding that he was glad that President Kenyatta honoured the invitation from the US President.
President Kenyatta will on Monday morning meet business executives of leading US companies under the umbrella of the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) before he heads to White House for talks with his host President Trump.
