United States Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman during an interview at the Ambassador’s Tate House Residence in Nairobi on June 8, 2024.
After a tenure marked by both diplomatic engagement and controversy, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman announced her resignation on Wednesday, ending her two-year stint in the country.
“Today (Wednesday) I announced to my team at the US Embassy that I have tendered my resignation to President (Joe) Biden. It has been an honour and a privilege to serve the American people by strengthening our partnership with Kenya,” she said in a statement.
She explained: “Like all US ambassadors, I serve at the request of the President. The American people have spoken and a new President will be inaugurated in January. I wish him and his new team every success.”
The move followed a week of fierce attacks by Kenyans on social media platforms and opposition leaders calling for her recall, following Donald Trump’s victory as the 47th US president in the November 5 election.
“...as a Kenyan politician, the immediate benefit of a Trump victory is the prospect of Kenya getting a new US ambassador who will hopefully be impartial unlike the current one who passes as an ally of the Kenyan Kwanza regime,” Ms Martha Karua, the 2022 Azimio la Umoja One Kenya running mate, quipped last week.
Following Ms Whitman’s resignation on Wednesday, Ms Karua said: “It is a move that meets the expectations of many in Kenya, myself included.”
Kenya Kwanza government
Perhaps Ms Whitman’s cosying up to President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government, which now appears to have lost the confidence of Kenyans, prompted the attacks against her, especially on social media. But from her first day in the country on August 1, 2022, just a week to the General Election, Ms Whitman’s presence was felt by Kenyans when the US Embassy in Nairobi issued a security alert for its citizens in Kisumu on August 2.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy has imposed restrictions on the movement of its personnel in Kisumu. The State Department reminds US citizens of the need for sustained vigilance,” it said.
At the time, President Ruto and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya leader Raila Odinga were heading for a major election clash on August 9, and opposition supporters felt that the US embassy was already giving indications that Dr Ruto was heading for victory.
The advisory drew a strong statement from Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, a close ally of Mr Odinga, who said Kisumu was a peaceful place and there had been no incidents of violence as the security alert seemed to suggest.
“The people of Kisumu are very peaceful. As far as I know, Kisumu has been very peaceful. We had a very successful Africity Summit here in May and some visitors stayed a little longer to enjoy the peace, security and tranquility of this county,” Governor Nyong’o said at the time.
However, her comments during Kenya’s election period, such as when she described the 2022 poll as “one of the most credible”, sparked backlash from some quarters, including the opposition coalition, which saw her remarks as interference in domestic politics.
Speaking at the devolution conference in Eldoret in August last year, Mr Odinga warned her to stay out of Kenya’s affairs, saying the country was not a US colony and should be left to its own devices.
Rogue ambassador
“Tell the rogue ambassador that Kenya is not the United States. Kenya is not a United States colony. Keep your mouth shut while you are here. Otherwise, we will demand your recall to your country,” Mr Odinga charged.
But President Ruto defended her, saying the opposition should have some decency and respect for themselves as they demand the same from others.
“I imagined between the people who are orchestrating the destruction of property and sabotaging our economy and those who are working with us to create investment opportunities and capital for the people of Kenya, who is actually the villain,” Dr Ruto said.
President Ruto was granted a state visit to the US in May, signalling the close ties between the Kenya Kwanza administration and the Democratic regime under outgoing President Biden.
Despite the attacks on her, she has insisted that the US had no preferred candidate in the 2022 election.
When President Biden announced her nomination as ambassador to Kenya, one question must have lingered in the minds of many around the world: why would a Silicon Valley billionaire with a storied career as a corporate executive and board member of some of the world’s leading multinationals take on this role?
She had led multinational e-commerce giant eBay to astronomical growth and headed Hewlett-Packard, among other high-profile corporate positions.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Nation a month after her appointment, she recounted how President Biden explained to her the influential global role Africa would play in the coming decades, especially given its burgeoning population.
“And he said, ‘Kenya is one of the most important countries in Africa, so I’d really like you to take a position there. The other thing that I think would be a good fit for you and the United States is that Kenya is the leader in technology in East Africa, with Safaricom, M-Pesa (a mobile money service) and the start-up community,’” Ms Whitman said.
People-centred agenda
In choosing her, Mr Biden believed it was important to have an American ambassador with such extensive experience, especially in technology.
In her resignation statement on Wednesday, Ms Whitman said she was “proud to lead a people-centred agenda that is saving lives, increasing security, and creating economic opportunity for Kenyans and Americans”.
“From providing emergency funding to mitigate catastrophic flooding in 2023 to the ongoing fight against malaria, HIV, and MPOX, the US government prioritises the health and well-being of our friends in Kenya.
Ms Whitman did not fail to highlight her achievements during her two years in the country.
“My efforts also opened the door for more American companies to do business in Kenya. When I arrived in 2022, I focused on expanding these ties with my ‘Why Africa, Why Kenya’ presentation to American businesses and entrepreneurs.
However, Mr Trump’s victory in the US over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris seemed to have come in handy for opposition leaders in Kenya to lead an onslaught against Ms Whitman.
The opposition leaders even issued their wish list for the incoming Trump administration, including the recall of Ms Whitman.
Ms Karua said the Trump administration must also defund the Haiti mission and send an “impartial ambassador to Kenya”.
