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Trump's G20 boycott of South Africa derails VP Vance's visit to Nairobi
US Vice President JD Vance walks toward the West Wing of the White House ahead of President Donald Trump's meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in Washington, DC, US, November 7, 2025.
A highly anticipated visit to Kenya by United States Vice President JD Vance has been called off following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw American participation from the upcoming G20 Summit in South Africa, citing alleged human rights abuses in that country.
The 2025 G20 Johannesburg summit is the upcoming twentieth meeting of the Group of Twenty, a meeting of heads of State and government planned from November 22 to November 23 2025.
It will be the first G20 summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa and on the African continent.
Vice President Vance had been scheduled to visit Nairobi later this month as part of a diplomatic tour that would have taken him from the G20 meeting in South Africa to Kenya — a trip officials had described as a sign of deepening relations between President William Ruto’s administration and Washington.
US Vice President JD Vance (left) and US President Donald Trump react during inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the US Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC.
However, the plan has now been upended after President Trump announced on Truth Social that no US government official would attend the G20 Summit.
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Mr Trump wrote. “Afrikaners are being killed and slaughtered, and their land and farms are being illegally confiscated. No US Government Official will attend as long as these Human Rights abuses continue. I look forward to hosting the 2026 G20 in Miami, Florida.”
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi confirmed to Nation that the cancellation of the G20 attendance effectively means Vice President Vance’s visit to Kenya is also off.
“Since the Vice President was to have a roundtrip that would have culminated with his visit to Kenya after the G20 Summit in South Africa, his trip has now become untenable,” Mr Mudavadi said. “But this has nothing to do with Kenya. President Trump’s statement is specific to South Africa, not Kenya.”
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr Korir Sing’oei echoed the clarification, saying that the two stops — Johannesburg and Nairobi — were linked.
“The planned trip to Kenya is likely to be impacted as the two visits were related: G20, then Nairobi,” Dr Sing’oei said.
The cancellation comes as a setback for Nairobi, which had hoped to use the high-level visit to reinforce US-Kenya cooperation on trade, security, and technology.
Kenya has been courting Washington aggressively in recent months, seeking to position itself as a strategic ally in East Africa amid shifting global alliances.
Kenya President William Ruto and US President Joe Biden during their talks at White house on May 23, 2024.
President Ruto visited the White House earlier this year for bilateral talks that produced several investment commitments and discussions on Kenya’s role in regional peace efforts.
This followed his historic State visit to the White House on May 23, 2024, hosted by then US President Joe Biden.
It marked 60 years of official diplomatic ties between Kenya and the United States — and the first State visit by an African leader to Washington in more than 15 years.
The JD Vance visit that had been scheduled between November 24 and 27 was expected to follow up on several engagements between the two nations, focusing on digital innovation, counterterrorism collaboration, and Kenya’s contribution to the multinational security mission in Haiti.
Diplomatic sources say Kenya remains optimistic that the visit will be rescheduled once the political dust settles around the G20 controversy.
“We continue to value our partnership with the United States and are confident that our ongoing engagements will not be derailed by scheduling changes,” a senior Kenyan official said.
However, Nairobi will have to wait longer for the symbolic boost that would have come with hosting Vice President Vance — a signal of Washington’s continued interest in Kenya as its key partner on the continent.
Mr Mudavadi told Nation that Kenya–US relations remain strong, dynamic and mutually beneficial, anchored in shared democratic values and a long history of partnership.
“The State visit by President William Ruto to Washington in May last year elevated the relationship to a strategic partnership, reaffirming Kenya’s position as a key ally of the United States in Africa,” he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden welcomes Kenyan President William Ruto during an official White House State Arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2024.
That visit, marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, he noted, produced a wide-ranging framework of cooperation covering trade and investment, climate action, technology, governance and regional security.
“Over the past year, many of these commitments have moved from intent to implementation and, progress has been steady. Kenya remains a key partner in US-Africa policy, with no major disruptions even after the US presidential transition.”
American firms, the PCS noted, are expanding investments in Kenya’s infrastructure and ICT sectors, while Kenya continues to position itself as a regional hub for US private sector engagement, as well as a reliable global partner in security issues.
“The partnership now stands on more forward-looking terms, focused less on aid and more on innovation, enterprise and a shared understanding of Kenya’s central role in East Africa’s security and economic architecture,” added Mr Mudavadi.
The official also spoke to the concerns over the delay by the US to deploy a substantive envoy to Kenya following the resignation of former US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, last year.
“This has not materially disrupted the conduct of bilateral relations. Diplomatic engagement between Nairobi and Washington has continued seamlessly through existing institutional frameworks because Kenya and the US maintain mature, multi-layered relations that extend beyond any single individual.”
Embassy operations, he noted, appear to have continued seamlessly through the Chargé d'affaires and existing staff, maintaining progress on key initiatives.
“No significant disruptions to support, investments or policy dialogues have been reported,” he said. “That said, the eventual appointment of a substantive ambassador will be important in restoring the full rhythm of diplomatic representation and advancing some of the more sensitive elements of the partnership.”
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