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Kenyan President William Ruto took longer than many African leaders to congratulate Donald Trump for his victory in the U.S. presidential election. Ruto had become a close ally of President Joe Biden’s administration, much to the chagrin of Kenyans, who held monthslong protests against Ruto’s economic policies and alleged corruption in his government. During that time, Biden designated Kenya a major non-NATO ally and secured its involvement in the Haiti peacekeeping mission.
In his congratulatory message to Trump on Wednesday, Ruto affirmed Kenya’s commitment to its long-standing partnership with Washington on “trade, investment, technology and innovation, peace and security, and sustainable development.”
Kenyan President William Ruto took longer than many African leaders to congratulate Donald Trump for his victory in the U.S. presidential election. Ruto had become a close ally of President Joe Biden’s administration, much to the chagrin of Kenyans, who held monthslong protests against Ruto’s economic policies and alleged corruption in his government. During that time, Biden designated Kenya a major non-NATO ally and secured its involvement in the Haiti peacekeeping mission.
In his congratulatory message to Trump on Wednesday, Ruto affirmed Kenya’s commitment to its long-standing partnership with Washington on “trade, investment, technology and innovation, peace and security, and sustainable development.”
Yet Ruto’s critics have called attention to the delayed messaging. “Trump win is bad news to the ruto administration. Trump abhors foreign aid as a means of developing africa . He will not meet ruto to dish out free sanitary towels and mosquito nets,” Kenyan MP Caleb Amisi wrote in a post on X. “Kenya will now be forced to work hard and stop over reliance on Western economic bloc!”
A trade and investment partnership with Kenya was slated to be finalized by the Biden administration next month, including investments in agriculture, climate resilience, and improving governance. The deal replaced formal trade negotiations undertaken by the first Trump administration in 2020 that emphasized U.S. access to Kenya’s wheat market and cooperation with small businesses.
It’s unclear whether Trump will revert to his more transactional trade proposal. Kenyan Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi on Friday sought to dampen fears. “American policy generally doesn’t change much whether the White House is held by a Republican or a Democrat,” Mbadi said. “Our current engagement is more at the multilateral level. The U.S. supports the World Bank, from which we receive assistance.”
This post is part of FP’s live coverage with global updates and analysis throughout the U.S. election. Follow along here.