US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has praised Kenya as the best destination for everyone travelling to Africa.
In her speech on Wednesday during the opening of the 8th Devolution Conference in Eldoret, Whitman said Kenya is the most stable democracy in Africa having just held the most credible elections almost a year ago.
The envoy said Kenya is the gateway to the East Africa market that is home to over 500 million consumers and the leading regional financial logistics hub.
"Kenya with its Silicon Savanna and super smart engineers is the region's ICT hub," the envoy said.
Whitman said Kenya is the leading destination for foreign direct investment and venture capital besides boosting of young, educated and entrepreneurial English-speaking workforce.
She said Kenya is also intentional on curbing climate change and generates over 93 per cent of its energy from renewable sources.
The Ambassador also took the opportunity to enumerate the healthy trade relations between Kenya and the United States saying her host country is the largest exporter of goods to her motherland.
"We feel Kenya is ready for liftoff as it diversifies," she said.
While expounding on Kenya's pivotal role as the gateway to East Africa, Whitman said more than 80 per cent of the regional trade passes through the country's port of Mombasa.
She said the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is also the busiest in East Africa served by 40 passenger airlines and 25 cargo planes.
Whitman also mentioned Kenya's infrastructural development including the Standard Gauge Railway, a series of roads and ports.
"From a financial and technology hub perspective, Kenya is already a regional hub for East Africa. Several international banks have had a presence in Nairobi for decades," Whitman said.
She said major financial institutions like the World Bank, and International Monetary Fund have also established their regional headquarters in Nairobi.
