By Ebi Kesiena
President William Ruto is set to fly out of Kenya on Wednesday night for an official visit to the United States.
State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed in a statement on Wednesday, said the visit would underscore Kenya’s commitment to tech innovation and its pivotal role as a trade partner with the United States.
According to the statement, Ruto will visit Silicon Valley in San Francisco, where he will meet with tech leaders of Microsoft, Intel, Google and Apple, among others.
“The visit aims to enhance investment opportunities and trade relations with the United States, with a particular focus on nurturing Kenya’s thriving start-up sector known as the ‘Silicon Savannah’,” read the statement in part.
“The President will emphasise Kenya’s young talent, green energy initiatives and its value as an alternative supply chain for American companies.”
President Ruto will then attend the 78th United Nations General Assembly session in New York.
“The global gathering will assess progress towards the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), address critical global challenges such as the climate crisis and debt concerns in the Global South,” Hussein stated.
Also, the State House spokesperson disclosed that President Ruto will participate in the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Ambition Summit, building on the successes of the recently concluded Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi.
Ruto will then chair a session of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change and participate in discussions on the High-Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy. He will also hold bilateral meetings with world leaders.
Ruto’s visit comes at a time when his Deputy Rigathi Gachagua and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi are both out of the country.