President William Ruto has bagged a lot of goodies during his state visit to US, including securing billions to boost healthcare, security and delivery of government services.
The visit to mark 60 years of official US and Kenya partnership founded on shared values, deep cooperation and a common vision for the future, yielded tangible benefits in many areas ranging from democracy, human rights and governance, health, people-to-people ties; climate solutions; trade and investment; debt, development, and sustainable finance; digital, critical, and emerging technology cooperation; and peace and security cooperation.
The US pledged $40 million for democracy, human rights, and governance programming in Kenya.
These include the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal programmes that defend democratic elections and political processes, increase women’s political participation and leadership, counter gender based violence, and advance digital democracy.
The United States also announced $700,000 in new assistance to support human rights efforts in addition to $2.7 million to improve civil society engagement in and oversight of governance processes.
The US Agency for International Development announced an additional $1.3 million youth empowerment programme aimed at strengthening political engagement at the subnational level and $600,000 to advance disability inclusion.
To boost the fight against corruption, the US pledged $500,000 for a new Fiscal Integrity Programme to make budget processes more transparent and inclusive and increase citizen engagement.
There was a further $500,000 to broaden the reach and effectiveness of anti-corruption advocacy by empowering civil society actors to create and disseminate multimedia content that engages citizens and mobilises action against corruption.
"To support Kenya to combat corruption, the US is providing $250,000 through the Global Accountability Program, and $300,000 to support Kenya’s proposed Whistleblower Protection law to strengthen anti-corruption legal architecture. In addition, USAID has provided $2.7 million to support the improved enforcement of policy and laws that deal with fraud, waste, and abuse in the delivery of public services to Kenyan citizens," the White House said in a statement.
Kenya also secured a new $7 million partnership to advance and strengthen the modernisation and professionalisation of the National Police Service, with a focus on staff and training development.
That includes a new $2.2 million initiative to provide training, mentoring, and technical assistance to implement priority reforms to improve oversight and conditions within the prison service.
"Recognising the regional role Kenya plays in combating transnational organised crime, the US intends to provide $4.9 million in new funding for Kenya and other East African countries to improve cooperation and coordination in combating criminal networks and holding criminals accountable."
This funding also supports capacity building and reform efforts within the Kenyan police and justice sectors.
To strengthen and support free and fair elections, the US intends to provide $1.5 million in new technical assistance to support Kenya’s electoral legal framework reform process aimed at strengthening the election commission, political parties, and campaign finance.
"This funding aims to improve public awareness raising and advocacy around the reforms, laying the groundwork for a more inclusive, transparent and peaceful 2027 election."
And to meet Kenya's digital health goals , the US announced over $31 million to advance efforts to set up a digital superhighway to enable a holistic view of health care delivery.
President Joe Biden's administration intends to provide $3.3 million for a programme for 60 Kenyan undergraduate students to study for a semester in the United States, with a focus on STEM. This program supports the development and success of the next generation of Kenyan scientists, researchers, and engineers in a people-to-people ties.
And for the museums, the Smithsonian Institution announced a $150,000 project funded by the US Department of State to assess opportunities, challenges, and possible enhancements to support the National Museums of Kenya continued evolution as a leader in cultural and natural heritage preservation.
For primary education, the USAID will provide $24.5 million for the Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP), a new nationwide early grade literacy activity. KPLP expands new innovations to address literacy needs of grade 1-3 learners while building more inclusive, accountable, and resilient education institutions and systems.
The US also undertook to expand the number of staff at its embassy in Nairobi to expedite the review and issuance of visas for travel of Kenyan citizens to the United States. The Consular Section issues visas for students, tourists, businesspeople, and workers, and also processes visas to reunite families. At the same time, our Consular Section provides services to American citizens living in or visiting Kenya.
"These people-to-people links are the bedrock of our bilateral relationship."
In the energy sector, USAID, through the Power Africa Initiative, announced $300,000 to support women’s entrepreneurship and gender-equity in the Kenyan energy sector and committed $3.6 million in to support the accelerated connection of more homes, businesses, and institutions in Kenya to cleaner electricity as part of its Empowering East and Central Africa program.
In hydropower investments, Virunga Power, a US company and Power Africa partner, announced a pipeline of six run-of-river hydropower projects in advanced stages of development in Kenya. With a total expected investment of $100 million, the hydropower projects will be constructed in sequence over the next five years and are expected to provide 31 megawatts of clean, baseload renewable energy.
And for electric vehicle startups, DFC announced a $10 million direct loan to BasiGo, an electric vehicle company that leases and sells electric buses to public transport bus operators in Kenya.
The loan facilitates procurement of buses and batteries for sale in Kenya and is a key e-mobility project supporting Kenya’s ambitious climate goals.
Additionally, DFC announced a $10 million loan to Kenyan company Roam Electric that supports its assembly and production of electric motorcycles on-site in its Nairobi production facility.
The U.S. Department of State also announced $100,000 for technical assistance to support accelerating the transition to zero-emissions vehicles in Kenya, including through policy development and implementation, capacity building and peer-to-peer learning, and workforce development.
For food security, USAID is investing in the future with $15 million for new activities designed to reduce poverty and malnutrition and address global food security by expanding investment opportunities. By creating over 50,000 new jobs, catalyzing over $200 million in new agricultural sales, and mobilizing over $200 million in new finance for agriculture, these activities improve food security and nutrition outcomes for over 800,000 Kenyans.
In security and fostering peace, Biden spoke of the US intention to designate Kenya as a major Non-NATO Ally. This designation is granted by the United States to countries with close and strategic working relationships with the U.S. military and defense civilians.
The United States has a deep respect for Kenya’s contributions to global peace and security. This is the first designation of a sub-Saharan Africa nation as a Major Non-NATO Ally.
In counterterrorism, the US announced $18.7 million to help build the Kenyan criminal justice system’s ability to address terrorism threats in a manner consistent with the rule of law. The funds provide training, mentorship, and equipment to investigators, forensic examiners, law enforcement, court officials, and prosecutors.
The US also pledged to expand the Manda Bay Airfield in Lamu by building a 10,000-foot runway. The expanded facility provides Kenya the required infrastructure to increase operations against the terrorist group al-Shabaab.
Kenya is also scheduled to receive 16 US-manufactured helicopters between 2024 and 2025 to bolster its ability to provide regional peace and security (8 Hueys) and participate in peacekeeping missions (8 MD-500s).