Kenya could wait longer for her to take up the role with US reports saying some Republicans in the US Senate have blocked some of Biden’s ambassadorial nominees over unrelated policy objections.
The delay to take her role comes amid growing unease in Nairobi about the Biden administration’s slow pace in concluding a free trade deal with Kenya, which was initiated by his predecessor Trump.
Ms Whitman who previously served as CEO of tech giants eBay and Hewlett-Packard is worth $5 billion (Sh575 billion), according to Forbes’ most recent estimates.
President Joe Biden’s nominee for US ambassador to Kenya billionaire Meg Whitman is yet to take up the crucial diplomatic post nearly five months after she was picked for the role, the White House has revealed.
Her nomination which was made last December is pending approval by the US Senate.
The White House Presidential Personnel Office — which is tasked with vetting new Biden appointees — listed Nairobi as one of Washington’s diplomatic outposts that remain vacant in an update published on its website on April 22.
Kenya could wait longer for her to take up the role with US reports saying some Republicans in the US Senate have blocked some of Biden’s ambassadorial nominees over unrelated policy objections.
The delay to take her role comes amid growing unease in Nairobi about the Biden administration’s slow pace in concluding a free trade deal with Kenya, which was initiated by his predecessor Trump.
Foreign policy
It also comes at a time Washington, which considers Nairobi as central to its regional foreign policy interests, has expressed concerns that Kenya’s pivotal role as a regional peace broker could be compromised by domestic distractions related to this year’s election.
Kenya, a strategic ally of the US in the Horn of Africa, faces a test of stability in a hotly contested General Election at a time it has emerged as a player in brokering peace in conflicts in Ethiopia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Deputy President William Ruto and ODM party leader Raila Odinga are the leading hopefuls to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta who will leave the office at the end of constitutional two terms.
Ms Whitman who previously served as CEO of tech giants eBay and Hewlett-Packard is worth $5 billion (Sh575 billion), according to Forbes’ most recent estimates, making her the 151st wealthiest person in the US as of last September.
Analysts say the lack of an ambassador could hamper the ability of the US to conduct its diplomacy and maintain its influence in countries where embassy staff are assigned to handle diplomatic affairs because an acting official cannot do the job as effectively as the substantive ambassador.
Eric W. Kneedler became Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, at the US Embassy in Nairobi in January last year after former US Ambassador Kyle McCarter resigned.
