The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) of the United States has faulted the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives James Johnson for failing to allow President William Ruto to address a joint session of Congress.
Taking to its X account the Black Caucus said, either way, it was glad to have welcomed Ruto and awarded him an honorary membership.
“While Speaker Johnson might not have given the President of Kenya the opportunity to address a Joint Session of Congress, the CBC was proud to welcome President Ruto to the United States Capitol today. We were honored to present President Ruto with honorary membership in the CBC. This comes after the Speaker Mike Johnson refused to host Kenyan President William Ruto for a joint meeting of Congress which is usually extended to other international leaders,” reads the post.
When Ruto met the CBC at the Capitol, he lauded them for their role in advancing social justice, human rights and economic development across the globe.
"We implore the Congress to take the lead in reconfiguring the global financial architecture where power is not in the hands of the few. A bold, robust and targeted approach will free Africa of the debt burden and transform the world," he said then.
Speaker Mike Johnson had earlier declined a request by the House of Congress Foreign Affairs committee to have President William Ruto address a joint session on his official visit to the United States.
The decision not to invite Ruto to address a joint session of Congress was due to scheduling constraints.
"Speaker Johnson welcomes President Ruto to the Capitol. We have offered the Kenyan embassy over 90 minutes of engagement including a one-on-one visit with Speaker Johnson, bipartisan leadership meeting with Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and Committee Chairmen and Ranking members, and a bicameral meeting," the statement read in part.
"Unfortunately, due to scheduling restraints, we could not accommodate a request for remarks before a Joint Session."
Had it been granted, Ruto would have been the first Kenyan President to address a joint session of Congress, and the second African head of state to address Congress since former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, 18 years ago.
