Kenya: U.S. Embassy in Nairobi Bolsters Staff for Visa Processing After Ruto’s Visit

May 25, 2024 E Jazz Reporter

Today, President Biden welcomes President Ruto of Kenya for a State Visit and Dinner to celebrate and deepen ties between our two nations. This visit marks 60 years of official U.S.-Kenya partnership. This partnership is founded on shared values, deep cooperation, and a common vision for the future. The two leaders’ agenda showcases how our ties deliver tangible benefits to the people of our nations in areas including Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance; Health Partnerships; People-to-People Ties; Shared Climate Solutions; Trade and Investment; Debt, Development, and Sustainable Finance; Digital, Critical, and Emerging Technology Cooperation; and Peace and Security Cooperation.

Democracy, Governance, and Human Rights

Our countries are bonded by our shared democratic values and mutual commitment to advancing human rights and strengthening political institutions. This historic State Visit is about the Kenyan and American people and their hopes for an inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous future for all. Our countries endeavor to guard against the erosion of political checks and balances, counter misinformation and disinformation, mitigate hate-fueled violence targeting members of vulnerable communities, and tackle corruption by building transparent and accountable governance systems. The State Visit highlights new areas of cooperation to safeguard rights and freedoms in the face of rising authoritarianism, expand avenues for dialogue, and elevate our shared global commitment to protecting democracy.

Delivering Democracy: The United States has programed nearly $40 million for democracy, human rights, and governance programming in Kenya, including through Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal programs that defend democratic elections and political processes, increase women’s political participation and leadership, counter Gender Based Violence, and advance digital democracy. Additional support for activities in Kenya under the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal build on Kenya’s important work as a member of the 14-country Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse, which is advancing global policies to address online safety for women and girls, including targeted violence against women political and public figures.

Supporting Independent Civil Society: President Ruto executed on May 9 the legal instruments required to operationalize the 2013 Public Benefits Organization Act, which institutionalizes groundbreaking, global best practices for civil society protections. The United States announced $700,000 in new assistance to support this effort in addition to the $2.7 million the United States is providing to improve civil society engagement in and oversight of governance processes. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also announced an additional $1.3 million youth empowerment program aimed at strengthening political engagement at the subnational level and $600,000 to advance disability inclusion.

Bringing Transparency to Government: The United States and Kenya commit to strengthening the Open Government Partnership (OGP), which Kenya co-leads and the United States co-founded, including through robustly fulfilling our open government commitments at home. USAID Administrator Power plans to represent the United States at the OGP event on the margins of the UN General Assembly High Level Week in September. This event gathers world leaders for an opportunity to showcase the powerful global coalition on open government and democracy and to consider opportunities for further collaboration.

Promoting Human Rights: The United States and Kenya affirm their commitment to upholding the human rights of all. Together they stand with people around the world defending their rights against the forces of autocracy. Kenya and the United States commit to bilateral dialogues that reinforce commitments to human rights, as well as a series of security and human rights technical engagements with counterparts in the Kenyan military, police, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs aimed at strengthening collaboration on security sector governance, atrocity prevention, and Women, Peace and Security in Kenya and regionally.

Combatting Corruption: The Administration intends to provide $500,000 for a new Fiscal Integrity Program to make county budget processes more transparent and inclusive and increase citizen engagement, and $500,000 to broaden the reach and effectiveness of anti-corruption advocacy by empowering civil society actors to create and disseminate multimedia content that engages citizens and mobilizes action against corruption. To support the Government of Kenya to combat corruption, the Administration is providing $250,000 through the Global Accountability Program, and $300,000 to support Kenya’s proposed Whistleblower Protection law to strengthen Kenya’s anti-corruption legal architecture. In addition, USAID has provided $2.7 million to support the improved enforcement of policy and laws that deal with fraud, waste, and abuse in the delivery of public services to Kenyan citizens.

Gathering Anti-Corruption Professionals: With support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the East African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities convened a regional conference from May 20-23, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, gathering anti-corruption practitioners and policymakers from countries participating in the East Africa Anti-Corruption Platform.

Strengthening Police Reform Efforts: Building on a longstanding partnership to further police capacity building and reform efforts, the United States and Kenya announced a new $7 million partnership to advance and strengthen the modernization and professionalization of Kenya’s National Police Service, with a focus on staff and training development.

Reducing Prison Overcrowding and Improving Detention Conditions: The United States and Kenya are committed to further advancing Kenyan-led efforts to improve the oversight of and conditions within Kenya’s prison service. The United States announced a new $2.2 million initiative to provide training, mentoring, and technical assistance to implement priority reforms.

Combatting Transnational Organized Crime and Supporting Criminal Justice Sector Reform: Recognizing the regional role Kenya plays in combating transnational organized crime, the United States intends to provide $4.9 million in new funding for Kenya and other East African countries to improve cooperation and coordination in combating criminal networks and holding criminals accountable. Funding also supports capacity building and reform efforts within the Kenyan police and justice sectors.

Supporting Investigative Journalism: The United States seeks to amplify Kenya’s leadership in building Africa’s digital resilience by supporting linkages between well-known international investigative organizations and select Kenyan NGOs, media outlets, and citizen journalists to build up Nairobi as a regional hub for exposing issues in the public interest. This support also helps journalists in their pursuit of public information. Pursuing these efforts in Kenya – a regional media and technology leader – positively impacts East Africa and the broader continent, particularly as Kenyan recipients connect with counterparts in the region.

Strengthening Kenya’s Frameworks for Free and Fair Elections: Working with Congress, the Administration intends to provide $1.5 million in new technical assistance to support Kenya’s electoral legal framework reform process aimed at strengthening the election commission, political parties, and campaign finance. This funding aims to improve public awareness raising and advocacy around the reforms, laying the groundwork for a more inclusive, transparent and peaceful 2027 election. This support complements Kenya’s amendment to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Act, which passed the National Assembly on May 3 and is now with the Senate.

Health Partnership: Securing Our Collective Health

Decades of collaboration between the United States and Kenya in the health sector have resulted in tremendous improvements in health not only for millions of our citizens, but also for the broader global community. This cooperation is vital to developing medical innovations, preventing the emergence of future global pandemics, and ensuring that effective treatments are widely available. Our governments are working in lockstep with the private sector, which is developing new manufacturing capacity in Kenya that can serve Africa and the world. The efforts showcased during the State Visit build upon these successes to ensure a healthier, more prosperous future for all.

Continuing the Fight against HIV/AIDS: The United States and Kenya are developing a “Sustainability Roadmap” to integrate HIV service delivery into primary health care, ensuring quality and impact are retained. With more than $7 billion in support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) spanning two decades, Kenya has successfully responded to the HIV epidemic and strives to end HIV as a public health threat in Kenya by 2027. These efforts improve holistic health services for the 1.3 million Kenyans currently receiving antiretroviral therapy and millions more benefiting from HIV prevention programs, while allowing for greater domestic resources to be put toward the HIV response, allowing PEFPAR support to decrease over time.

Partnering for Global Health Security: Kenya and the United States announced a formal proclamation between the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Government of Kenya for sharing information, identifying best practices, and defining steps toward the development and full launch of the Kenyan National Public Health Institute. As a gateway to East Africa through Port Mombasa, Kenya’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease threats is critical. To support our health partnership, Kenya and the United States plan to develop and launch a customized Public Health Emergency Management training program to enhance health security across all 47 counties in Kenya.

Reducing the Impacts of Malaria: Through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), the United States contributed $33.5 million in 2023 to fight malaria in Kenya, providing vital financial and technical assistance to the Government of Kenya. The United States supports resilient health systems to deliver care by training health workers, strengthening supply chains, improving data monitoring, and reinforcing national health policies and guidelines. These investments have contributed to a 50% reduction in malaria prevalence over the last decade. In support the Government of Kenya’s localization goals, PMI is expanding its procurement of pharmaceutical supplies from Kenyan manufacturers and intends to procure up to an additional 5 million malaria treatments and 475,000 preventive treatment doses from Kenyan producers in 2024.

Growing Health Manufacturing: Kenya committed to working with lawmakers to advance the Kenyan Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) Act, a necessary step to boost local manufacturing of medical products and expand private American investment in the sector. Securing and diversifying global supply chains by promoting local and regional manufacturing of health products is a priority of the United States. The implementation of the PPB Act has the potential to increase manufacturing capacity in Kenya and Africa to ensure the availability of life-saving medicines, diagnostic tests, and devices. This should also mitigate the impact of global supply chain shocks, which were so evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. To further these goals, USAID provided $2.3 million in support to Revital Healthcare to develop rapid diagnostic tests for HIV, malaria, hepatitis B and C, dengue, and pregnancy, and to build a manufacturing plant capable of producing 240 million tests per year. Additionally, USAID and the Kenyan Ministry of Health are partnering to equip all neonatal clinics with Revital-made continuous positive airway pressure machines for babies requiring respiratory support.

Partnering with the Private Sector in Healthcare: The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is investing in Kenya’s vibrant private sector by making a $10 million direct loan to Kenyan company Hewa Tele, which provides an affordable and regular supply of medical oxygen to healthcare facilities in Africa, and two rounds of equity investment totaling $4 million to Kasha Global, a Kenya-based e-commerce company that provides personal care, health care, and beauty products to low-income women in Kenya and Rwanda.

Expanding Joint Research: Kenya and the United States recommitted to our long-standing partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the CDC and the Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) to support Kenya’s Applied Science Hub, building on 45 years of research partnership on malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, vaccine-preventable diseases, maternal and child health, emerging infectious diseases, and COVID-19. The research in the Applied Sciences Hub aims to expand surveillance, answer critical public health questions, and introduce novel diagnostic methods, including advanced molecular and serology-based methods, and training in public health laboratory core competencies. This year, the United States provided an estimated $12.9 million to support research efforts by KEMRI through CDC, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Department of Defense. In FY 2023 NIH supported over 250 grants to U.S. organizations that collaborated with Kenyan organizations, covering a wide range of relevant biomedical research topics, and approximately 90 of these collaborations include researchers at KEMRI.

Meeting Kenya’s Digital Health Goals: The United States announced over $31 million to advance Kenya’s efforts to set up a digital superhighway to enable a holistic view of health care delivery. The United States has worked closely with the Kenyan Ministry of Health to build and deploy digital health solutions to support disease programs and improve the ability to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats. This includes $4 million through USAID Power Africa’s Health Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance to support solar power solutions for health facilities and activities to strengthen community and facility information systems to improve patient care and expand access to emergency medical services for mothers and newborns. Additionally, the NIH Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) program focuses on facilitating the use of data science to impact health outcomes in Africa and supports a data hub and training and educational development programs in Kenya.

People-to-People Ties: Improving and Enriching Lives

The American and Kenyan people have deep ties that go far beyond the 60 years of official cooperation between our governments. These relationships – rooted in family, friendship, and community – improve and enrich our lives. They drive our cooperation, underpin our shared values, and elevate our aspirations. The benefits of these ties are particularly evident in our cooperation in educating the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries. The State Visit builds on this fundamental strength, catalyzing stronger partnerships through a series of groundbreaking education and exchange programs.

Strengthening Connections Between U.S. and Kenyan Educational Institutions:

Kennedy-Mboya Partnerships: As the United States and Kenya celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations, and recalling the positive and enduring impact of the Kennedy-era student airlift, the newly announced Kennedy-Mboya Partnerships support a new scholarship program that promotes intellectual, academic, and innovative exchange. The Administration intends to provide $3.3 million for a U.S. Department of State program for sixty Kenyan undergraduate students to study for a semester in the United States, with a focus on STEM. This program supports the development and success of the next generation of Kenyan scientists, researchers, and engineers.

Partnership 2024: The Administration intends to provide $500,000 for Partnership 2024 to support the development of Kenyan students, scientists, researchers, and engineers by encouraging U.S. universities to increase investment in relationships with Kenyan universities and research institutions. Faculty and research collaboration are planned to bolster the program, supported by Fulbright Specialists to provide additional expertise.

EDTECH Africa: The Governments of Kenya and the United States, in collaboration with Microsoft, Mastercard’s Center for Inclusive Growth, Howard University, Spelman College, Clark Atlanta University, and Morehouse College announced the establishment of EDTECH Africa. This initiative serves as an emerging technology bridge between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and African scholars, aimed at cultivating educational exchanges in the ever-evolving landscape of emerging technology. This initiative expands Mastercard’s existing investment of $6.5 million for the Atlanta University Center Consortium Data Science Initiative and $5 million for Howard University’s Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics, actively involving African scholars with HBCU students and faculty in the journey toward greater proficiency as data scientists. Microsoft will invest an additional $500,000 to support HBCU and Kenyan students engaged in research at the Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI) in Nairobi, Kenya, complementing its recent contribution of $350,000 for the Atlanta University Center Consortium Data Science Initiative to establish a network of data science faculty across HBCUs. USAID intends to invest $850,000 to facilitate this partnership between HBCUs and Kenyan universities.

National Science Foundation (NSF) International Activities: NSF has committed to offering workshops, planning grants, or supplements to U.S. universities to strengthen connections between U.S. and Kenyan universities, jointly identify research foci, and facilitate collaboration in research, education, and workforce development.

Employment Pathways for Youth: USAID announced $6.5 million to support a partnership between Edison State Community College in Piqua, Ohio, and Kenya’s United States International University of Africa to strengthen up to 40 Kenyan technical vocational education and training institutions in the high-growth sectors of information and communications technology (ICT) and manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and textiles.

Framework for Cooperation: The United States and Kenya signed a Framework for Cooperation to support higher education partnerships for STEM education. The Framework describes U.S. and Kenyan priorities and is accompanied by a commitment from Microsoft, Micron, Mastercard, and several U.S. and Kenyan universities expressing their support for STEM education. The Framework fosters higher education partnerships and commitments to partner private sector stakeholders, Kenyan institutions, and U.S. institutions to build mutual capacity in information and computer technology, microchip manufacturing, and other STEM-related education and career opportunities.

Collaboration with the National Museums of Kenya: The Smithsonian Institution announced a $150,000 project funded by the U.S. Department of State to assess opportunities, challenges, and possible enhancements to support the National Museums of Kenya continued evolution as a leader in cultural and natural heritage preservation. Smithsonian officials plan to work collaboratively to identify possible areas for enhancement and growth, including facilities, collections care and conservation, curation, digital infrastructure, exhibitions, and research programs.

Supporting Primary Education: USAID intends to provide $24.5 million for the Kenya Primary Literacy Program (KPLP), a new nationwide early grade literacy activity implemented in close partnership with Kenya’s Ministry of Education. KPLP programs are delivered in English and Kiswahili to all public primary schools and select private schools. KPLP expands new innovations to address literacy needs of grade 1-3 learners while building more inclusive, accountable, and resilient education institutions and systems.

Bolstering Kenya’s Creative Workforce: The United States and Kenya announced new initiatives and programs to strengthen the creative economies between our two countries. In partnership with the Recording Academy, the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, and other leading private sector and civil society institutions, the United States envisions new programs to promote collaboration, build capacity, and bolster professional creative industry ecosystems. We seek to assist emerging leaders in television, film, and music to learn new skills, build networks, and participate in international festivals. The two countries also promote cultural heritage and tourism by supporting the preservation of the archaeological site of Takwa through the prestigious U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation.

Expanding Emerging Technology Training Program: The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies intends to launch a new fellowship program this fall bringing together high-achieving mid-career government officials from select African countries. This program equips the next generation of leaders across the continent with the policy and technical expertise needed to help their governments translate the digital transformations underway – including in AI and other emerging technologies – into broadly shared growth for their societies. In recognition of the technology sector leadership demonstrated by both the Kenyan public and private sector, Kenya is the first country to be added the inaugural fellowship cohort.

Increasing Diplomatic Exchange: The United States Foreign Service Institute and the Kenyan Foreign Service Academy plan consultations with the intention of enhancing cooperation and further exchanges between the two institutions. Sharing a mutual interest in promoting best practices for the training of diplomats, the United States and Kenya commit to exploring Kenya’s participation in an emerging international community of practice for diplomatic training.

Strengthening U.S.-Kenya Research Ties with Kenya’s Health Workforce: The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) Kenya is a partnership between Moi University, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and the AMPATH Consortium of global universities around the world led by Indiana University. With $20.7 million in annual funding from USAID, these partners are reaching 120,000 Kenyans on life saving antiretroviral treatment. Through AMPATH, the universities commit to continuing the education of healthcare providers, medical students, residents, and community health workers.

Increasing Consular Capacity: The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi expanded the number of staff working in the Consular Section to expedite the review and issuance of visas for travel of Kenyan citizens to the United States. The Consular Section issues visas for students, tourists, businesspeople, and workers, and also processes visas to reunite families. At the same time, our Consular Section provides services to American citizens living in or visiting Kenya. These people-to-people links are the bedrock of our bilateral relationship.

Shared Climate Solutions: Fostering Growth and Resilience

President Biden and President Ruto have a shared climate vision as not just an existential challenge of our time, but as the most significant economic opportunity of the 21^st century. It is a generational opportunity for Africa to become a leader in the global clean energy economy. Closer partnership is generating greater advances in clean energy supply chains, mobilizing climate-related investment, sustainable agriculture, adaptation, and resilience.

Launching the U.S.-Kenya Climate and Clean Energy Industrial Partnership: During the State Visit, we announced the launch of a U.S.-Kenya Climate and Clean Energy Industrial Partnership to elevate climate action and green industrialization as a critical pillar of our bilateral relationship. We also signaled our intent to implement a new green growth framework throughout Africa. Through this partnership, the United States and Kenya prioritize cooperation across the three, mutually-supportive areas of clean energy deployment, clean energy supply chains, and green industrialization. To support these activities under the Partnership, the United States and Kenya intend to work with international financial institutions and multilateral trust funds to identify mechanisms to mobilize investment for clean energy manufacturing and services. The two sides intend to strategically leverage concessional finance and risk mitigation tools at the multilateral development banks and climate funds to lower the cost of capital for clean energy deployment and supply chains in Kenya and the region, including a portion of the $568 million in catalytic finance that the United States provided to the Clean Technology Fund in 2023.

Humanitarian Disaster Response: To date in FY 2024, USAID has provided $42 million in emergency humanitarian assistance to Kenya. Including this assistance, USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance has provided nearly $1.3 billion over the last 12 years to respond to humanitarian needs in Kenya, including those caused by natural disasters.

Connecting Homes, Businesses, and Institutions to Reliable Clean Energy: USAID, through the Power Africa Initiative, announced $300,000 to support women’s entrepreneurship and gender-equity in the Kenyan energy sector and committed $3.6 million in to support the accelerated connection of more homes, businesses, and institutions in Kenya to cleaner electricity as part of its Empowering East and Central Africa program. In addition, Power Africa inter-agency partners, including the U.S. Department of Energy, DFC, and USTDA, announced key deliverables that, in partnership with the Government of Kenya, advance Power Africa’s mandate to alleviate energy poverty.

Investing in Hydropower : Virunga Power, a U.S. company and Power Africa partner, announced a pipeline of six run-of-river hydropower projects in advanced stages of development in Kenya. With a total expected investment of $100 million, the hydropower projects will be constructed in sequence over the next five years and are expected to provide 31 megawatts of clean, baseload renewable energy. The power generated should improve the stability of Kenya Power’s distribution network in Western and Central Kenya and enable new connectivity and industrial and economic growth in rural areas of the country.

Deepening Government-to-Government Cooperation on Clean Energy and Carbon Management: The U.S. Department of Energy and Kenyan Ministry of Energy announced their intent to sign a MOU in June in Nairobi intended to enhance bilateral collaboration and partnership in the development of clean energy, carbon management technologies, and decarbonization strategies. This MOU establishes a framework to facilitate the sharing of technical knowledge, advice, skills, and expertise across numerous sectors – including geothermal energy development and industrial decarbonization. The framework forms the basis of sustainable and climate-adaptive economic growth across our countries and regions.

Investing in Electric Vehicle Startups: DFC announced a $10 million direct loan to BasiGo, an electric vehicle company that leases and sells electric buses to public transport bus operators in Kenya. The loan facilitates procurement of buses and batteries for sale in Kenya and is a key e-mobility project supporting Kenya’s ambitious climate goals. Additionally, DFC announced a $10 million loan to Kenyan company Roam Electric that supports its assembly and production of electric motorcycles on-site in its Nairobi production facility. The U.S. Department of State also announced $100,000 for technical assistance to support accelerating the transition to zero-emissions vehicles in Kenya, including through policy development and implementation, capacity building and peer-to-peer learning, and workforce development.

Growing Kenya’s E-mobility Sector: DFC recently announced a $10 million loan to Mogo Auto Kenya to support affordable financing for cars, motorcycle taxis, and logbook loans in Kenya. The transaction supports President Ruto’s Africa Green Industrialization Initiative, building upon DFC’s longstanding support for the e-mobility economy in Kenya.

Launching the MCC-Kenya Urban Mobility and Growth Threshold Program: The United States and Kenya are scheduled to launch a seminal partnership to deliver a more connected, mobile, and green Nairobi. The $60 million grant from the Millennium Challenge Corporation funds a four-year program focusing on the transportation needs of underserved groups, safer options for women and pedestrians, and climate-friendly public transportation, generating benefits for over four million residents and increasing urban mobility while decreasing transportation sector emissions.

Increasing Plastic Recycling: USAID recently expanded its support for the Kenyan recycling company T3, now totaling over $2 million. T3 plans to leverage nearly $13 million in additional private investment to expand plastic collection and acquire a “bottle-to-bottle” processing line, the first in Kenya. The line enables production of food grade recycled PET resin and is projected to more than double the amount of PET plastic recycled in Kenya. The T3 initiative is projected to create 200 jobs and indirect economic opportunities for approximately 8,000 collectors, mainly women and youth.

Supporting Community-Led Conservation: The Southern Kenya Conservation Project (SOK) and the Kenya Rhino Range Expansion Project (KRRE) are building partnerships for the conservation of the southern Kenya landscape and the expansion of rhino range in Kenya. The partnerships aim to raise significant funds to increase wildlife numbers, restore landscapes, open up wildlife corridors, and spur economic opportunity. USAID is providing $300,000 to develop landscape and fundraising strategies to help Kenya leverage funds and access financing for both projects. SOK and KRRE will help Kenya build climate resilience and achieve their 30×30 goal of conserving 30 percent of their land and oceans by 2030.

Promoting Wildlife Conservation: To assist the Government of Kenya with combatting wildlife trafficking and other nature crimes, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of the Interior have collaborated to station a permanent U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, strengthening the longstanding wildlife conservation partnership between our two countries. This position was designed to assist with law enforcement coordination and consultation, facilitation of intelligence sharing and investigative support, and access to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensic and technical support resources.

Amplifying Scientific Partnership: The United States welcomes Kenya’s leadership in hosting the upcoming Smithsonian’s ForestGEO international analytical gathering in Nanyuki, Kenya, co-hosted by the Mpala Research Centre, the National Museums of Kenya, and the Karatina University, from June 29 to July 13, 2024. The Smithsonian ForestGEO network studies the diversity and dynamics of forests, the forest carbon cycle, and the impact of climate and global change on forest biodiversity and function.

Improving Weather Forecasting: DFC recently announced a $1 million loan to Ignitia AB, a tropical weather forecasting service designed for smallholder farmers in Kenya, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This loan was part of the Africa Small Business Catalyst program in partnership with the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) and USAID.

Fostering High-Integrity Carbon Markets: The United States and Kenya established a partnership to support Kenya’s efforts to be a global leader in delivering high-integrity and high-quality carbon credits. In support of this partnership, the U.S. State Department and USAID announced $1 million in targeted technical assistance and analytical capabilities to support development of Kenya’s framework for high-integrity carbon markets and to strengthen Kenya’s ability to engage in related transactions.

Investing in Carbon Capture: The U.S. Department of Energy, through Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, announced a one-year project to accelerate the commercial readiness of carbon dioxide (CO2) removal approaches that leverage the reactive CO2 mineralization storage potential in Kenya’s volcanic-hosted geothermal systems. The project aims to develop and implement a characterization protocol to evaluate potential strategic basalt CO2 storage sites through a knowledge exchange process; parametrize a static geologic model to facilitate evaluation of CO2 injection and mineralization storage strategies; and establish the institutional foundation for sustained Kenyan collaboration within the international mineralization storage research and development community.

Announcing New Scientific Collaboration: The Smithsonian Institution announced a new research fellowship program in Kenya, funded by education entrepreneurs Dennis and Connie Keller, to build capacity, train, and exchange knowledge. Alongside Smithsonian scientists, Kenyan Shared Health Science Fellows study impacts of changes in climate, pollution, stressors, and toxicants on wellbeing, health, and physiology in humans, plants, animals, and our shared environment. Over the next four years, the program aims to provide six fellows with two years of training at the Mpala Research Centre and spend time at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Deepening U.S.-Africa Nuclear Industry Cooperation: The U.S. Department of Energy, in partnership with Kenya and Ghana, plans to host the second installment of the U.S.-Africa Nuclear Energy Summit (USANES) on Industry Readiness in Nairobi, Kenya in August 2024. Recognizing the historic relationship between the United States and Kenya, USANES 2024 envisions U.S. and African policymakers, technical experts, and industry leaders convening in Nairobi to address critical issues impacting industry readiness and the future of nuclear energy on the African continent. The Summit comprises educational workshops, stakeholder engagement sessions, and multilateral discussions on topics from financing and workforce development to supply chain preparedness. The Summit aims to underscore the opportunities nuclear power presents to reach Net Zero by 2050 and further strengthen the robust ties between the United States and Kenya.

Trade and Investment: Generating Prosperity

The trade and investment partnership between the United States and Kenya is driving our shared prosperity, generating well-paying jobs, expanding economic growth, protecting the rights of workers, and spurring new innovations with global benefits. This partnership spans the full spectrum of large to small businesses. Both countries are partnering with the private sector to further strengthen these economic ties, including in the critical areas of clean energy technology, agriculture, and affordable housing.

Advancing a U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership: The U.S. and Kenya have made significant progress on the U.S.-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (STIP). We are negotiating high standard commitments in a range of areas with a view to increase investment; promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth; benefit workers, consumers, and businesses (including micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises); and support African regional economic integration. The U.S. Trade Representative and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade, and Industry committed in May to work towards concluding an agreement by the end of 2024.

Signing a U.S.-Kenya Commercial and Investment Partnership: The United States and Kenya intend to sign a Commercial and Investment Partnership, affirming a mutual commitment to deepening commercial and investment ties between our two countries. This Partnership, with robust participation from the private sector, aims to promote a strong business-enabling environment and to facilitate trade and investment opportunities in Kenya focused on key priority sectors including infrastructure, agriculture, and the digital economy.

Opening a DFC Nairobi Office: DFC announced it plans to open an office in Nairobi, playing a key role in driving DFC’s pipeline development across key sectors in Kenya such as agriculture, health, e-mobility, energy, infrastructure, and financial inclusion, including on-lending to small and medium sized enterprises and women entrepreneurs.

Establishing A Framework Agreement with Coca-Cola: In Atlanta, President Ruto visited Coca-Cola HQ to sign a framework agreement focused on policy engagement, mango juice production, and plastic recycling. His visit also celebrated 70 years of Coca-Cola in Kenya, along with the company’s partnership on drought response and clean water, use of its supply chains to distribute COVID vaccines and protective equipment, and a new $175 million investment in its economy.

Reaping Benefits from AGOA: Vivo Fashion, a leading Kenyan women’s fashion brand in East Africa, announced the opening of its first retail storefront in the United States in Atlanta, Georgia. Vivo Fashion is part of a growing Kenyan apparel industry that benefits from market access to the United States under AGOA, the largest single component of U.S. trade with Kenya.

Improving Food Security through Jobs: USAID is investing in the future with $15 million for new activities designed to reduce poverty and malnutrition and address global food security by expanding investment opportunities. By creating over 50,000 new jobs, catalyzing over $200 million in new agricultural sales, and mobilizing over $200 million in new finance for agriculture, these activities improve food security and nutrition outcomes for over 800,000 Kenyans.

Investing in Kenyan Businesses:

Acorn Green Housing Project: DFC recently approved an approximately $180 million loan to Acorn, a real estate developer that constructs and operates affordable student housing in Kenya. The DFC investment is expected to catalyze an additional $360 million in local Kenyan investment in one of the largest green housing portfolios in Africa.

Pezesha Africa Limited: DFC announced a $500,000 technical assistance grant to build a proprietary credit scoring model to improve Kenyan company Pezesha Africa Limited’s underwriting capabilities for small and medium sized enterprise clients. Pezesha is a capital enablement lending infrastructure platform focused on increasing access to finance for retail trade micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises by integrating financial services into existing supply chain verticals.

Keep IT Cool: DFC recently announced a $500,000 loan to Kenyan-based Keep IT Cool, a business-to-business aggregation and sales platform to connect fish farmers with buyers utilizing cold chain technology. This loan was part of the Africa Small Business Catalyst program in partnership with USADF and USAID.

African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, Inc.: DFC recently announced a $10 million second loss guarantee to African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership, Inc. to expand the sale of fertilizer on credit to small and medium-sized enterprise agri-input suppliers in Kenya, Zambia, and Ghana. The guaranty deal is expected to enable up to $360 million in additional fertilizer sales in these three countries over the next three years, furthering regional food security and agricultural production.

Kentegra Biotechnology: DFC recently announced a $10 million loan to Kentegra Biotechnology in Kenya to support the construction of a new facility to scale up its production capacity of pale refined pyrethrum extract, a key ingredient in organic pesticides. DFC’s loan provides women farmers with more predictable income, higher prices than alternative crop options, and training to implement best farming practices and financial planning tools to fully benefit from the increased incomes resulting from pyrethrum cultivation. USTDA previously announced a grant of $660,000 for a feasibility study supporting the development of this facility, which can facilitate Kenya’s ability to respond to international demand for safer and environmentally friendlier insecticides.

Debt, Development, and Sustainable Finance

President Biden and President Ruto recognize that mounting debt burdens put critical investments in countries’ sustainable development and ability to address global challenges like the clean energy transition out of reach. Countries should not have to make the difficult choice between paying back creditors and investing in their people, economy, and future.

Launching theNairobi-Washington Vision: The United States and Kenya are launching the Nairobi-Washington Vision as a call to action to the international community to bring together all its tools to support countries with high ambition with respect to investments in their own development and addressing global challenges that are too often constrained by high debt burdens. It calls on international financial institutions to provide coordinated packages of support, creditor countries to provide forms of debt relief and/or new budget-support flows, multilateral development banks and development finance institutions to facilitate private sector financing on better terms and crowd in private investment, and creditors to provide more transparent and sustainable lending. Together we call to the international community to come together around these elements to support high-ambition countries with high-ambition financial support.

Expanding Support to Developing Countries through the International Financial Institutions : To make this vision a reality, the United States is stepping up support to international financial institutions. Through efforts to evolve the multilateral development banks, the United States has worked with Kenya and other shareholders to secure reforms to unlock over $250 billion in new lending at these institutions. The United States intends to make available in the coming weeks lending of up to $21 billion to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust to support the poorest countries, and has made available this week $250 million through the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) Crisis Response Window to support crisis response in the world’s poorest countries. President Biden has asked Congress for funding in the FY 2025 budget that would enable $36 billion in new lending at the World Bank that, together with contributions from international partners, could provide an additional $100 billion boost to World Bank financing capacity over time. Both Kenya and the United States stand in support of an ambitious policy and financing package for the replenishment of the World Bank’s International Development Association.

Enhancing Support for Kenya from the International Financial Institutions: The United States has been a leading voice advocating for international financial institutions to step up support to Kenya to achieve development and climate ambitions. With strong support from the United States, the IMF has doubled Kenya’s total program financing from $2.2 billion over three years to $4.4 billion over four years. Robust U.S. financial support has enabled World Bank financing to Kenya, including through increased funding at IDA and the World Bank’s International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The United States championed the expansion to select countries in Sub-Saharan Africa of the European Bank for Reconstruction (EBRD) and Development, where the United States is the largest shareholder. The United States and Kenya worked together to successfully secure Kenya’s membership in the EBRD, which would be a boost to private sector development in the country once Kenya is granted recipient country status.

Digital, Critical, and Emerging Technology Cooperation: Delivering Innovation, Progress, and Inclusion

The strong and growing innovation partnership between the United States and Kenya is anchored in a shared commitment to investing in secure and resilient technology supply chains, building a skilled and technologically savvy workforce for the future, promoting the digital economy and infrastructure, and enhancing our cybersecurity posture. Like the United States, Kenya is an engine for innovation. Kenya’s “Silicon Savannah” – a $1 billion technology hub – is home to more than 200 startups spanning a range of sectors, including clean energy, microelectronics, financial technology, and e-commerce. The United States and Kenya share a commitment to ensuring that technology is developed and deployed in a manner that advances transparency, accountability, and human rights. Together, our two countries are committed to seizing the opportunities of a new digital era and driving innovative approaches to solving some of the most consequential global challenges.

Building Secure and Resilient Supply Chains:

Establishing a New Semiconductor and Technology Partnership to Support U.S. and Kenyan Industry, Consumers, and Workers: The United States views Kenya as a strong emergent partner in building resilient semiconductor supply chains, and we share a commitment to promoting high-quality jobs with strong labor standards for U.S. and Kenyan workers. We aim to develop programmatic options to expand Kenya’s technical workforce and strengthen its regulatory environment to help attract further private investment and cultivate potential linkages to the U.S. semiconductor supply chain. To this end, the U.S. State Department intends to partner with the Government of Kenya to explore opportunities to grow and diversify the global semiconductor ecosystem, specifically in the assembly, testing and packaging sector, under the International Technology Security and Innovation Fund, created by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Accordingly, the U.S. State Department is working with Congress to commit $1 million in foreign assistance to promote resilient semiconductors supply chains, build secure and trusted ICT ecosystems, and complement U.S. domestic manufacturing capacity. This would make Kenya the first country in Africa to benefit from funding through the CHIPS and Science Act.

Partnership to Expand Semiconductor Supply Chain: The United States is working with Congress to establish a partnership with Kenya to expand and diversify its emerging semiconductor industry in support of global supply chains. Programs to expand Kenya’s technical workforce and streamline its regulatory environment would assist in attracting further private investment and build linkages to the U.S. semiconductor supply chain, specifically in the assembly, testing and packaging sectors.

Diversifying the Semiconductor Workforce: NSF intends to partner with Micron and Global Foundries to launch new funding opportunities to support investments in a diverse semiconductor workforce – including through investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities – to increase equitable access to STEM education in the United States and Kenya. In addition, NSF has committed to offering workshops, planning grants, and providing supplements to U.S. universities for research and education to strengthen connections between U.S. and Kenyan universities.

Semiconductor Network and Welcome Corps at Work: The United States welcomes Micron’s launch of its MSI Semiconductor Network comprised of 16 leading universities across the United States, which seeks to feature collaboration between select MSIs with universities in Kenya to develop the next generation of the semiconductor workforce from underrepresented communities. Through funding opportunities made available by NSF, GlobalFoundries, and Micron, MSIs – like those that are a part of Micron’s MSI network – can increase access to equitable education, address student programming, and strengthen infrastructure. The company also announced a partnership with the International Rescue Committee and Talent Beyond Boundaries, through Welcome Corps at Work, to recruit individuals from refugee and immigrant communities across East Africa, including Kenya, to fill semiconductor technician and engineer roles.

Expanding Semiconductor Fabrication: USTDA signed an MOU with the Government of Kenya and committed $1.3 million to support Semiconductor Technologies Limited’s expansion of its fabrication of legacy semiconductor chips at commercial scale.

Enhancing Cybersecurity Cooperation:

Improving Cybersecurity: The United States, Kenya, and Google announced a joint effort to help launch a cybersecurity operations platform to improve the security of Kenya’s digital infrastructure, including an initial pilot project to enhance the resilience of Kenya’s e-government services. Google also highlighted solutions for incident response and resilience-building measures. Separately, Microsoft has agreed to create a new program to upskill Kenyans through free online certifications to help Kenya fortify its resilience against evolving cyber threats and support AI training and research. In collaboration with the Government of Kenya and the University of Nairobi, Cisco launched in April 2024 its Cybersecurity Training and Experience Center in Kenya, the first on the African continent. The Center is supporting the East African digital ecosystem, providing critical cybersecurity skills for future tech leaders.

Kenya Regional Cyber Sector Collaboration Symposium: The United States and Kenya, in collaboration with the Software Engineering Institute, plan to hold a regional event later this year focused on enhancing information sharing between cybersecurity incident response teams to enable a more resilient cyberspace in East Africa.

Commercial Law Development Program Advisory Support: As a collaborative effort between the Departments of State and Commerce, the United States intends to provide policy and regulatory advisory services to support secure and trusted ICT ecosystems in Kenya. Support includes policy and legislative reform advisory services, consultative meetings, capacity-building workshops, and multi-stakeholder engagement at international events.

Promoting Digital Connectivity:

Expanding Digital Connectivity: Google announced an investment in digital connectivity for Africa Connect, creating the first intercontinental fiber optic route in the southern hemisphere between Kenya and the Asia Pacific region. The terrestrial portion of Africa Connect has regional breakout points which enable trusted connectivity from Kenya to Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Google’s Africa Cloud Region.

Fiber Backbone and Access Network Expansion: USTDA recently announced funding for a $1.13 million feasibility study to help Bandwidth and Cloud Services Group (BCS) expand its operations to provide new and affordable broadband network access to thousands of individuals across East and Central Africa. This grant facilitates the expansion of BCS’s fiber backbone and access network in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda. In turn, the expansion should enable other internet service providers to make new investments that can provide affordable fixed wireless access for an even larger consumer market.

Affordable Urban Internet Connectivity: USTDA recently announced $1.26 million in funding for a feasibility study to assess market opportunities across Africa in support of Kenya-based Poa Internet’s delivery of affordable fixed wireless internet access. The grant aims to evaluate the viability of expanding internet access to an additional one million households in low-income urban communities across the continent.

Bridging the Digital Divide Reverse Trade Mission Series: USTDA announced two upcoming reverse trade missions to introduce public and private sector representatives from Kenya and Tanzania to the latest U.S. technologies, services, and financing solutions for last-mile connectivity and cybersecurity. Both reverse trade missions are focused on expanding internet access and improving cybersecurity governance, while increasing the likelihood that these digital transformation projects are implemented using U.S. technologies and services.

Mombasa to Malaba Fiber and Tower Infrastructure: At the 2024 AmCham East Africa Business Summit, USTDA announced $1.2 million to address Kenya’s internet affordability gap. USTDA’s grant to the Wilken Group enables evaluation of the development of fiber optic infrastructure and a series of 5G-capable towers along the Meter Gauge Railway between the cities of Mombasa and Malaba.

Africa Cross-Continental Fiber Backbone: At the 2024 AmCham East Africa Business Summit, USTDA announced $1.3 million in funding for a feasibility study for CSquared to assess plans for a cross-continent fiber optic backbone from East Africa to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The fiber optic backbone would help hundreds of thousands of Africans gain access to affordable broadband for the first time. USTDA’s grant also aims to establish city-level fiber networks and last-mile connectivity to commercial buildings and homes.

Last-Mile Internet: The Government of Kenya and Microsoft continue to collaborate to increase internet connectivity in Kenya and throughout the region, including by bringing last-mile wireless internet access to 20 million Kenyans and 50 million people across East Africa by the end of 2025.

Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) Partnership with the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI): DTA intends to provide $1 million to YALI’s Regional Leadership Center (RLC) in Kenya to expand digital skills and literacy, support digital entrepreneurs and start-ups, and increase private sector engagement across East Africa. This activity should inform additional DTA-YALI activities with other RLCs in Ghana, Senegal, and South Africa, benefiting young African leaders in 49 countries.

Construction of Green Data Center for Cloud Services: The government of Kenya and Microsoft announced they are joining a partnership that plans to construct a 1-gigawatt datacenter in Naivasha, Kenya. The data center will be run on Microsoft Azure cloud services and offer access to cloud-based applications and services to organizations and individuals in Kenya and East Africa – allowing the Government of Kenya to move its data and services to trusted vendors. The data center will be powered entirely by geothermal energy and will feature state-of-the-art water conservation technology to minimize water use.

M-KOPA: DFC announced a $51 million loan to Kenyan company M-KOPA to support the financing of up to $210 million of smartphone receivables, and cash loans, increasing the affordability of devices to low-income borrowers.

Establishing Strategic Dialogue on AI: The governments of the United States and Kenya established a Strategic Dialogue on AI to discuss deepening our collaboration to ensure the development and deployment of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI systems. This dialogue focuses on spurring innovation, bolstering sustainable and inclusive economic growth, promoting digital transformation, overcoming digital divides, and advancing democracy, equity, and universal human rights. The Dialogue offers the opportunity to discuss and coordinate policies around the national security implications of AI and associated technologies. The inaugural Strategic Dialogue on AI meeting is scheduled to take place in late 2024.

Collaboration between the U.S. AI Safety Institute and Kenya’s Imagine Tech and Action Lab: The U.S. AI Safety Institute and Kenya’s equivalent Imagine Tech and Action Lab plan on future collaboration to advance scientific research for AI safety, develop guidance for safety evaluations and mitigations, and work towards interoperable standards. This collaboration fosters connections between our talent, resources, and capacity in order to harness the benefits of AI safety for all. Through this collaboration, Kenya intends to join a growing global scientific network of institutes focused on AI safety and committed to international cooperation.

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Peace and Security Cooperation: Protecting People Across the Globe

Decades of strong security cooperation between the United States and Kenya have played a critical role in East Africa and beyond. This partnership extends to areas including international peacekeeping, peace negotiations, security governance, refugee inclusion, and cooperation in cybersecurity. The U.S.-Kenya partnership plays a central role in international efforts to defeat al-Shabaab, ISIS elements based in East Africa, and other terrorist organizations. The United States is also firmly committed to supporting Kenya in its deployment to lead the Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to Haiti, providing much needed security assistance to the Haitian people.

Elevating our Bilateral Relationship: In a powerful symbol of the close relationship between the United States and Kenya, today President Biden is informing Congress he intends to designate Kenya as a Major Non-NATO Ally. This designation is granted by the United States to countries with close and strategic working relationships with the U.S. military and defense civilians. The United States has a deep respect for Kenya’s contributions to global peace and security. This is the first designation of a sub-Saharan Africa nation as a Major Non-NATO Ally.

Promoting Peace and Security: To further strengthen and amplify Kenya’s regional role in peace negotiations and mediation, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations is funding the Public International Law and Policy Group’s 12-month training program to establish an effective mediation/negotiations support unit in the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Peace and Security Directorate.

Leading on Refugee Response: The United States and Kenya reiterate the importance of building a strong asylum system, partnering on social and economic integration of refugees and host communities, and supporting the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Over the past 10 years, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration provided more than $667 million in humanitarian assistance in Kenya. This funding supports basic needs, protection, and durable solutions for refugees and other vulnerable populations and promotes economic and financial inclusion for refugees and their Kenyan host communities. In recognition of the importance of responsibility sharing and advancing solutions in protracted displacement, the United States has resettled more than 26,000 third country refugees from Kenya since 2014.

Investing in the Security Sector: The United States is making long-term investments in Kenya’s defense capabilities, including by building border security capabilities, increasing maritime security awareness, improving peacekeeping capacity, supporting humanitarian response, and strengthening civilian and military defense institutions. The United States has invested heavily in Keya’s defense capabilities, providing over $230 million in civilian security and defense sector funding since 2020, with a strategic focus on our shared counterterrorism interests, including a robust partnership with the Massachusetts National Guard under the State Partnership Program.

Working Together to Bring Peace to Haiti: The United States reaffirmed its support for Kenya’s plan to deploy 1,000 police to Haiti as part of the MSS mission to Haiti to help bring security and stability to the Caribbean nation. Answering the call from Haiti and the international community, Kenya has pledged lead an international force as authorized by a UN Security Council Resolution 2699.

Bolstering Criminal Justice System Response to Counter Terrorism: Consistent with the vision President Biden laid out at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, the State Department Bureau of Counterterrorism announced $18.7 million to help build the Kenyan criminal justice system’s ability to address terrorism threats in a manner consistent with the rule of law. The funds provide training, mentorship, and equipment to investigators, forensic examiners, law enforcement, court officials, and prosecutors. The programming also promotes the U.S. Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security through specialized training and mentorship for female law enforcement officers in Kenya engaged in counterterrorism efforts and capacity-building measures to improve the meaningful participation of women in peace and security.

Countering Terrorism: Underscoring our shared commitment in the fight against terrorism, U.S. and Kenyan officials plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to expand the Manda Bay Airfield in coastal Kenya by building a 10,000-foot runway. The expanded facility provides Kenya the required infrastructure to increase operations against the terrorist group al-Shabaab.

Deepening Cooperation on Information Sharing: The two countries have committed to deepen cooperation on counterterrorism information sharing to constitute a comprehensive response to the international terrorist threat. Additionally, Kenya is in the process of joining Operation Gallant Phoenix, a program that advances multinational collaboration and sharing of terrorist information to build mutual capacity to collect and use battlefield evidence in civilian criminal justice proceedings in a multiagency, multinational setting. These initiatives should help both countries better protect our borders and our citizens from terrorist actors.

Refurbishing and Delivering Helicopters: Kenya is scheduled to receive 16 U.S.-manufactured helicopters between late 2024 and summer 2025 to bolster its ability to provide regional peace and security (8 Hueys) and participate in peacekeeping missions (8 MD-500s).

Continuing Military Procurement: Kenya has one of the largest U.S. Foreign Military Sales portfolios in Africa. Kenya selected approximately 150 M1117 Armored Security Vehicles from U.S. Excess Defense Article stocks, which are projected to arrive in Kenya September 2024.

Collaborating in Military Exercises: The United States welcomesKenya’s hosting of and participation in some of the largest U.S. military exercises in Africa, including Exercise JUSTIFIED ACCORD – the second largest U.S. military exercise in Africa – and Exercise CUTLASS EXPRESS, which focuses on building interoperability amongst multinational partners in the maritime environment.

Deepening A Legacy of Military Training and Capacity Building: In summer 2024, for the first time the Kenya Defence Forces have candidates starting courses at the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the U.S. Air Force Academy, building on a long tradition of the majority of Kenyan general officers benefitting from U.S. International Military Education Training courses. The U.S. military currently has seven advisors in Kenya supporting Kenyan aviators and for the first time, the United States is providing a Strategic Logistics Advisor to Kenya’s Ministry of Defence. Kenya’s U.S.-trained Disaster Response Battalion has also been involved in recent search and rescue operations in response to recent flooding in Kenya.