The US has at last had a change of guard at its crucial Nairobi outpost as Kyle McCarter replaces ambassador Robert Godec — one of the longest-serving top diplomats in the country.
While not much has changed in the relations between Kenya and the US during the Donald Trump administration, we hope that the new envoy will keep his word and concentrate on key priority areas he has said he will put his energy into; trade and security.
Kenya has had a long history of commercial exchanges with the US, ranging from purchases of aircraft to arms.
The country is also a member of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) under which a range of commodities access the lucrative US market duty-free.
But notably, given local bottlenecks Agoa has had a limited impact on the economy, meaning much of the trade benefits the US.
Mr McCarter should engage public agencies and manufacturers to help Kenya overcome these bottlenecks to ensure that exporters have easier access to the US market.
At the same time, and with the knowledge that he comes to champion US interests, we urge him to ensure transparency in the way American companies do business with Kenyan public institutions to ensure that the public gets value for money.
On security, his new job could not be more relevant. Just this week, a boatload of 400 US tourists was diverted to the Seychelles days after Washington cautioned its citizen wishing to visit Kenya.
The caution came about three weeks after the dusitD2 terrorist attack, in which 21 people were killed by Al-Shabaab, who said they were hitting back at America for moving its embassy in Israel.
Kenyans will be expecting the new ambassador to tame overzealousness in Washington even as he pushes for more support to combat terrorism.
Mr McCarter with his already established roots in charity in rural Kenya appears to be the right man for the job especially with his professed agenda.
We urge him to make a difference.
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