President Biden will designate Kenya as a “major non-NATO ally” on Thursday, a U.S. official said, a move that reflects the president’s determination to deepen ties with the East African country even as other nations including Russia and China race to do the same.
Biden will welcome Kenyan President William Ruto to a formal state dinner at the White House on Thursday, after he has legally notified Congress of his intentions so Biden can make the announcement, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The designation is given to countries that have a strategic partnership with the U.S. military, though not necessarily a mutual defense pact. Kenya would be the first sub-Saharan African country so designated.
The diplomatic move and a day-long celebration of U.S.-Kenya relations were intended to underscore Biden’s commitment to Africa, even though he has failed to deliver on a promise to personally visit the continent by the end of the year.
Mr Biden formally reneged on that pledge when Mr Ruto arrived in Washington on Wednesday afternoon, telling him he intended to visit the continent “in February after my re-election”. For months, Biden aides have dodged questions about whether he would travel to Africa during a busy election year.
Biden plans to use the visit to thank Ruto for agreeing to lead Multinational security forces help stabilize HaitiSince the assassination of the country’s president in 2021, criminal gangs have continued to terrorize the island’s citizens.
But the U.S. president and his advisers are also eager to show that he remains focused on building relationships with Kenya and other African countries, hoping to prevail in the growing competition with China and Russia to secure trade and other interests with these resource-rich countries.
“We are beginning a new era of economic cooperation between Kenya and the United States,” Biden said during a meeting with Ruto and executives from 10 companies in the East Room on Wednesday evening. “My message is very simple and direct: Thank you. Thank you. Keep up the good work.”
Ruto’s visit to the White House will be the first state visit by an African leader to the United States since 2008, and will be packed with the formal meetings and pageantry that past presidents have reserved for their closest allies.
In addition to the closed-door meeting and joint press conference, the White House is also planning a state dinner on Thursday night. The dinner will include heirloom tomato soup, butter-poached lobster, fruitwood-smoked ribs and a white chocolate basket.
A centerpiece made of 15,000 metal strips will hang above guests’ heads, reflecting the candlelight in the State Dining Room. Musical guests will include the Howard Gospel Choir and country singer Brad Paisley.
But the main purpose of Biden’s trip is to show that he remains determined to build connections between American and African businesses and governments.
Biden and Ruto held a roundtable discussion with executives at the White House on Wednesday, a precursor to a full day of meetings and social events during the official state visit on Thursday.
Wednesday afternoon’s meeting was intended to showcase Kenya’s desire to expand its role as East Africa’s tech and business hub. The country is now home to $1 billion in startups and is known as the “Silicon Savannah” for its grasslands.
Corporate executives who met with Biden and Ruto included Ruth Porat, president and chief information officer of Alphabet and Google; Ursula Burns, chairwoman of Teneo; and Kamau Gachigi, executive director of Gearbox.
Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, said: “You will see President Biden and President Ruto working to deepen our partnerships in critical and emerging technologies, working to improve health, combating climate change, supporting civil society, Enhance peace and security and, of course, enrich people-to-people relations between the United States and Kenya.”
U.S. officials said late Wednesday that the two presidents will make a number of economic announcements on Thursday, including a semiconductor partnership aimed at making Kenya the first country in Africa to receive funding from the CHIPS Act, which Biden helped Pushed for passage by Congress.
“I can’t think of a better way to start this trip,” Biden said of Wednesday’s economic meetings, before recalling his visit to Kenya as vice president. He praised the innovative spirit of the Kenyan people and noted the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
“Nothing is more important than the area of innovation,” he said. “That’s why we have so many business leaders sitting around this table.”
Mr. Ruto, who has been criticized in his own country for actions targeting judges that some see as authoritarian in nature, has also welcomed outreach to the leaders of Iran, Russia and China, U.S. adversaries whose military, political and economic interests often conflict with those of Washington.
Ruto has shrugged off the criticism, saying it makes sense to build ties with many countries that share common interests. Sullivan told reporters on Wednesday that Biden does not shy away from criticizing countries for their human rights or civil society records.
But he added: “He is not here to lecture President Ruto. In fact, President Ruto just spoke about these issues in Atlanta. We will invest in Kenya’s democratic institutions, civil society and Kenyan industries to help ensure Kenyan democracy The basic foundation remains strong.”
