What Joe Biden promised Kenya's president during phone call

United States President-elect Joe Biden. PHOTO | MARK MAKELA | GETTY IMAGES | AFP

Summary

• The president-elect offered his appreciation for President Kenyatta’s congratulations and expressed his interest in partnerships with Kenya.

By BRIAN OKINDA

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United States President-elect Joe Biden has conveyed his interest in building on the strong and lasting

partnership between his country and Kenya across a variety of issues affecting both countries.

Mr Biden made the promise in a telephone call with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The president-elect offered his appreciation for President Kenyatta’s congratulations and expressed his interest in partnerships with Kenya on issues including tackling the threat of climate change, supporting refugees and their host communities, and addressing challenges of regional security and instability.

President-elect Biden has particularly been touted as leaning more towards issues touching on climate change than any other general election presidential contender in the US history.

Leadership credentials

On November 8, in his congratulatory message to the former US Vice-President, Mr Kenyatta termed the US president-elect’s win as a demonstration of Americans’ confidence in his leadership credentials.

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“Americans have spoken loudly and clearly through their votes by picking a highly experienced, colourfully decorated and long-serving leader to become their next Head of State. On behalf of the people and the Government of the Republic of Kenya, I congratulate president-elect Joe Biden and vice president-elect Kamala Harris for their emphatic win and wish them all the best as they prepare to lead the United States of America into a future of prosperity,” the Kenyan President said.

President Kenyatta termed president-elect Biden as a friend of Kenya whose last visit to the country while serving as vice-president under former US President Barack Obama helped renew the Kenya-USA ties.

President-elect Biden’s win, Mr Kenyatta then said, consequently presents an even bigger and better platform for the two countries to collaborate more closely for the prosperity of their people.

Mr Biden, who also took part in separate congratulatory calls with the leaders of Argentina and Costa Rica, as well as with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, also stressed the fight to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The US presidential elections were held on November 3 and, while president-elect Biden has been declared the winner, the incumbent, Donald Trump, has not yet formally conceded.