Conference remarks · 23 May 2024
I thank you most sincerely, Mr. President, for inviting me to make this state visit to the United States. On behalf of the people and government of Kenya, I also take this opportunity to express deep gratitude for the warm welcome we received on arrival, and the excellent hospitality of the American people.
My visit provides us with the opportunity to celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations rooted in shared values of freedom, democracy, rule of law, equality and inclusivity.
My visit takes place at a time when democracy is perceived to be retreating worldwide. The accelerating drift towards regimes indifferent to democratic values is a deep concern to us and I believe it is time the US, working with Kenya, deploys its capabilities and rally like-minded democratic countries to step up the course for democracy.
During our discussions, we agreed on the significant opportunity for the US to radically recalibrate its strategy and strengthen its support for Africa, as discussed at the US-Africa Leadership Summit by enhancing its investment in the institutions of African integration and increasing support for peace and security.
As we take this historic step of elevating our partnership to be more effective in addressing global challenges, it is important for us to appreciate that many countries in Africa, including Kenya are struggling with an overwhelming convergence of multiple shocks, including extreme climate events, debt distress and the disruptive upheavals in Europe and the Middle East, whose cumulative impact is to divert national resources from investment in people and economic growth, into managing climate-induced crisis and on sovereign debt service.
For this reason, I underscored the imperative for our partnership to facilitate recovery from these multiple crises and particularly, for the US to take the lead in a comprehensive debt resolution framework, by doubling its contribution to concessional financing (IDA 21) under the World Bank and to work with IMF on rechanneling SDRs to institutions like the African Development Bank to further leverage on private sector funding. Unless this is done immediately, the values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law are jeopardized.
On regional peace and security in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, I expressed optimism that Kenya and the U.S will innovatively design appropriate defence and security frameworks to help Kenya as the anchor State and the region to deal with the peace and security challenges that are undermining human wellbeing, development, and democracy. We affirmed our mutual commitment to the stabilization of Haiti through the Multinational Security Support Mission.
The US-Kenya Climate and Clean Energy Industrial Partnership we have just committed to is an encouraging milestone on our collective journey and builds on the paradigm shift we inaugurated at the African Climate Summit. Accordingly, Africa's resource potential is a huge opportunity to deploy US technology and investment to catalyse unprecedented growth through green industrialisation.
We also agreed to hasten the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act to sustain the rising momentum of our investment and export manufacturing growth.
Similarly, we agreed to undertake sustainable green growth, by facilitating the conclusion of the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership and renewal of AGOA. During our discussions, I witnessed first-hand President Biden's and the US government's determination to make our partnership work and resolve to spread and deepen the roots of freedom, democracy, security and prosperity throughout the world. As my visit comes to a close, I am confident that our engagements have laid a solid foundation for us to continue the good work we have begun with stronger faith and greater hope for success, because in Joe Biden, Kenya and Africa have a strong and committed friend. Thank you.