US President Barack Obama speaks during a “town hall” meeting at the
Summit of the Washington Fellowship for the Young African Leaders
Initiative(YALI) in Washington, DC on July 28, 2014. The YALI Summit
serveed as the lead-up event to next week’s inaugural U.S.-Africa
Leaders Summit, the largest gathering any U.S. President has held with
African heads of state and government, which will strengthen ties
between the United States and one of the world’s most dynamic and
fastest growing regions. AFP PHOTO
The first US-Africa Leaders’ Summit that begins
on Monday provides an opportunity for Kenya to take a fresh look at its
ties with one of the world’s most influential countries. .......................................
The
US says the three-day meeting — that promotes itself as “investing in
the next generation” — increases the focus of President Barack Obama’s
administration on trade, investment, security and democracy in Africa.
As
President Uhuru Kenyatta leads the Kenyan delegation to America, it is
important to bring to the fore the long-standing mutual interests
between the two countries. The relationship with the Jubilee
administration has been particularly been chilly — from perceptions that
the Americans were attempting to influence last year’s General Election
to travel advisories issued on not visiting parts of Kenya due to
security concerns.
The perception of weakened ties has
also been fuelled by increased Chinese investment in Africa that some
think does not come attached with conditions, unlike support provided by
the Western countries.
But while China is largely
interested in infrastructure projects, the US remains a key partner in
areas such as health, security and governance.
The
summit should, therefore, be an important forum where Kenya, as a
friendly nation and partner of the US, raises its concerns and promotes
its interests for the sake of prosperity and stability
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