The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has formally requested Speaker Mike Johnson to extend an invitation to Kenyan President William Ruto to address a joint session of Congress during his upcoming state visit on May 23, 2024.
If approved, President Ruto would become the first Kenyan head of state to address Congress and the first African head of state to do so since former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spoke there eighteen years ago.
This historic visit marks the first state visit by an African president to the US in two decades.
In their letter to the Speaker, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) said such an invitation would underscore the importance of the U.S.-Kenya relationship and send a valuable signal to the people of Africa. “
They said U.S.-Kenya relations continue to deepen, encompassing strong political, economic, technological, and cultural ties.
The letter notes that The United States is among Kenya’s largest trading partners, and Kenya is one of Africa’s most dynamic economies, boasting a top utilisation rate of U.S. market access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
This year marks the 60-year anniversary of the U.S.-Kenya diplomatic relationship. Nearly 100,000 Kenyan-Americans call the United States home.
The Congressmen also pointed out that the United States maintains an overseas military base at Manda Bay, on the Indian Ocean, to support operations to counter terrorist threats from Al-Shabab. These, they said, are just some examples of the close ties forged between the US and Kenya over the past six decades.
It is crucial for members of Congress to understand how Kenya’s active participation in Africa’s future and beyond is vital for peace and stability in the region and aligns with the broader economic and strategic interests of the United States, concludes the letter to Speaker Johnson.
The news of the possibility of President Ruto addressing the joint session of US Congress was received with excitement in Kenya, according to local media.
Liberia’s former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf did so eighteen years ago and used the occasion to tell of her country’s rise from the ashes of a deadly civil war.
