ASSESSMENTS

What To Expect From Stronger U.S.-Kenya Ties

Jun 20, 2024 | 20:30 GMT

U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden pose with Kenyan President William Ruto (center), alongside his wife and children, as they arrive for a State Dinner at the White House on May 23, 2024.
U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden pose with Kenyan President William Ruto (center), alongside his wife and children, as they arrive for a State Dinner at the White House on May 23, 2024.

(Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Stronger ties with the United States will raise Kenya's profile as a destination for U.S. investments and help it play a leading role in stabilizing the Horn of Africa, but the two countries' partnership will be tested by Nairobi's police deployment to Haiti and former U.S. President Donald Trump's potential reelection. On May 23, the White House announced that President Joe Biden would label Kenya as the United States' first major non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa. The announcement came amid Kenyan President William Ruto's state visit to the United States, in which he clinched significant investment pledges into Kenya, including a $3.6 billion investment by Everstrong Capital LLC to build a highway connecting Nairobi to the port city of Mombasa, as well as a $1 billion investment by Microsoft and Emirati company G42 into a 1-gigawatt data center. In addition to securing strong backing from the private sector, Ruto's trip...

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