United States top diplomat Antony Blinken is set to visit Kenya next week.
The Secretary of State will travel to 3 African states, the rest being Nigeria and Senegal, from November 15 to 20th. He is expected to meet President Uhuru Kenyatta, and Foreign Affairs CS Raychelle Omamo.
Among the topics to be discussed are COVID-19, and regional peace and security, with the situation in Ethiopia believed to be high priority.
A statement from the State Department read,” Secretary Blinken will begin his trip in Nairobi, where he will meet with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Ambassador Raychelle Omamo, affirming our strategic partnership with Kenya. The Secretary and representatives of the Kenyan government will discuss our shared interests as members of the UN Security Council, including addressing regional security issues such as Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. The Secretary will advance U.S.-Kenyan cooperation on ending COVID-19, improving clean energy access, and protecting the environment. The Secretary will underscore U.S. support for a peaceful and inclusive Kenyan election in 2022.”
The last US Secretary of State to visit Kenya was Rex Tillerson in 2018. It went awkwardly wrong for him, when Donald Trump fired him during his stay in Nairobi. He had to cancel public engagements, telling the media that he was sick.
Hopefully this visit by Blinken will be uneventful.
