POTUS Meets President Uhuru- What is in it For Kenyans?

The long-awaited visit of President Uhuru Kenyatta to the United States’ (US) President Donald Trump is over and though the meeting was anticipated in Kenya, very little has been said on the outcome of the meeting.

Accompanied by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, Uhuru was welcomed by the US president Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump into the Oval Office. The two presidents proceeded to the Cabinet Room to engage in matters affecting the two countries majoring on trade and security. Two agreements where two companies based in the US will invest 238million dollars’ worth projects in Kenya.

The First Ladies proceeded to the White House West Wing’s diplomatic reception room where they held talks on their shared interests on children with Melania’s Be Best campaign and Margaret’s Beyond Zero campaign. Melania proceeded to inform the World on their talks in a tweet that read “@Potus & I welcomed @UKenyatta & Mrs. Kenyatta to the @WhiteHouse today. I enjoyed my time with the First Lady of Kenya, discussing our shared concerns for children. #BeBest.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s talks with US President Donald Trump laid emphasis on security and trade between the two countries capturing Africa as a whole.

Direct flights between Nairobi and New York by the Kenya Airways are expected to kick off in October. The direct flights as planned will be a great boost to the trade and tourism industry with African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) expected to benefit as President Uhuru tweeted, “African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is one of the main areas that is set to benefit from direct flights between Nairobi and New York.”

“We do a lot of trade. And we do a lot of defense and security. And we’re working very much on security right now. And I appreciate you very much being with us and your staff. This is really great,” said President Trump.

President Uhuru’s visit to the US is in line with the Government’s BIG FOUR Agenda as he met members of the US Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and challenged them to take advantage of the agenda and invest in Kenya.

Uhuru Kenyatta is now the third African President to engage in direct talks with US President Donald Trump after Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi which took place in April 2017 and Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2018.