Top US Diplomat Cancels Kenya Visit as President Ruto Travels to China

Kenya has once again found itself in the crosshairs of the US after President Donald Trump’s top diplomat cancelled a scheduled visit following President William Ruto’s five-day State tour of China.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was set to land in Nairobi on April 28, has had his visit abruptly cancelled due to what sources said was Kenya’s latest dalliance with Beijing, rising corruption among senior government officials and Ruto’s relationship with rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.

Kenya has in the recent past received censorship for hosting Sudan’s rebel group Rapid Support Force (RSF) in Nairobi. Ruto’s administration has also been on the receiving end of its support for some factions of rebels in the DRC.

First visit

The tour that would have also taken him to Ethiopia was to be Rubio’s first visit to Africa since being appointed by President Trump last year.

The cancellation comes in the wake of reports that the Trump administration is considering the closure of up to 10 embassies and 17 consulates around the world, many of them in Europe and Africa.

In Africa, among the embassies earmarked for closure include the Central African Republic, Congo, Eritrea, Gambia, Lesotho, and South Sudan. The consulates in Douala (Cameroon) and Durban (South Africa) are also on the list.

Diplomats on the continent had already been instructed “to dedicate greater efforts toward supporting the U.S. private sector in identifying and closing business deals,” the State Department’s top Africa official, Troy Fitrell, told journalists last week.

Cancellation of Rubio’s visit at the eleventh hour comes in the wake of revelations that several US companies that had inked multi-billion-dollar deals to either establish offices or manufacturing plants in Nairobi have since abandoned the idea due to corruption.

The Kenyan government is also said to have gone back to the drawing board after missing out on the thousands of billions of shillings that President Ruto is said to have bagged during his visit to White House last year.

Matters worsened when President Trump shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the government’s arm for foreign funding, a move that dashed all hopes of Kenya ever receiving the anticipated billions of shillings.

Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura declined to comment on the cancellation of the visit as well as the decision by the USA firms to put on hold earlier plans to invest in Kenya.

“Why should I talk to you when you have previously declined to use the quotes that I had given you?” Mwaura quipped as he hung up.

But Machakos deputy governor Francis Mwangangi, an expert in international relations, says Rubio’s abandonment of his visit must have largely been influenced by integrity issues, particularly corruption and Kenya’s relationship with rebels in DRC and Sudan.

Mwangangi says President Ruto must rethink his relationship with rebels in Sudan and the DRC that have been proscribed by the US and European Union.

Ruto left the country on Monday night for a five-day state visit to China aimed at strengthening bilateral ties, deepening trade and investment relations, and advancing infrastructure cooperation between Kenya and China.

The President was scheduled yesterday to headline the Kenya-China Business Forum, which was to bring together over 100 companies from both countries. The forum was expected to focus on unlocking new trade opportunities and enhancing Kenya’s appeal as a destination for Chinese investment.

Ruto is also scheduled to hold high-level bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang, and National People’s Congress Chairman Zhao Leji. The discussions will centre on shared economic transformation, sustainable development, and global cooperation.

“The visit builds on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established in 2017, with Kenya recognised as China’s leading Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner in Africa,” said State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed.