A Joint press conference by the US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec and the Kenyan State House spokesman, Manoah Esipisu announced the July scheduled visit of the US president Barack Obama to Kenya.
President Obama will be attending the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit double with bilateral talks with the country’s leadership. This is the first visit by a sitting US president to the East African country.
The visit can be viewed as evidence of the warming relationship between the two countries. Their relationship sank to an all-time low in 2013 when the then Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Johnnie Carson warned the Kenyan electorate against voting for the current president and his deputy. He was quoted as saying “choices have consequences” that was in reference to electing the two who were facing charges at the International Criminal Court.
This is not the first African visit for Obama who skipped Kenya in his previous visit and his pending visit is seen as a mending-fence kind of visit after the charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta were dropped.
The Global Entrepreneurship Summit brings together entrepreneurs from Africa and the world networking them with International organizations, governments and leaders of business. Kenya was a perfect host for the summit seeing as it has bolstered to the fastest growing economy in the continent and third globally translating to increased investment opportunities.
The East African country has achieved milestones economic and is becoming a favorite investment destination for all investors globally as well as service providers to cater for the growing high and middle class population of the country.
The recent, major infrastructure undertakings by the government have become an investors-magnet as every investor wants a piece of the fastest African growing economy.
The trade relations between Kenya and the US have improved with saw US’ exports to Kenya more than doubled according to a report released by the US Commerce department. This is regardless of the recent cooling of the country’s relationship with the Western Countries.
Jakom..welcome home