Yesterday, Kenyan President William Ruto concluded his official visit to the United States and especially to Washington, where he was received by his American counterpart, Joe Biden, with an official meeting at the White House. This was a historic event, because it was since 2008 that an African head of state had not been received at the White House, while for a Kenyan leader one has to go back as far as 21 years ago, when it was Mwai Kibaki who met George Bush.
'Game changer', say the Anglophones. Ruto's visit was important for several reasons.
Firstly, Kenya is about to join the ranks of the major 'non-NATO' allies, and is the first Sub-Saharan African country to be admitted to this group. Joining the major non-Nato allies automatically means receiving military means, resources, training, and other security benefits, which are also useful in tackling Al-Shabaab terrorism on the border with Somalia.
Secondly, the deployment of a UN-approved international security force to activate the peace process on the troubled island of Haiti has been finalised. The force should be led by Kenya, as the Ruto government has promised to send 1,000 police officers. The problem is that the High Court in Nairobi has declared the deployment unconstitutional, and the opposition is also said to be ready to return to the streets to protest against this decision, especially if it overrides the interests of justice.
Finally, the visit coincided with new requests for funding and loans from the US to calm the public debt and fight inflation. On the other hand, however, the Kenyan government will have to commit itself not to go overboard with the introduction of new taxes and especially with raising the tax rate. On this, greeting Ruto's visit to Washington, the American ambassador in Nairobi, Meg Whitman, spoke eloquently, saying that tax increases could demotivate companies not only from the United States from investing in Kenya, if one wants to come closer to the tax burden of developed countries, as well as align with the services offered, one must do so gradually, is Whitman's opinion.
An allied Kenya, however, is more than useful to the US, also to keep at bay the business of China, which just in the past few days has been announced as the financier of the extension of the SGR railway to the border with Uganda, and the interference of Russia, which Kenya still needs like bread, or rather like wheat, since it is the largest exporter of maize (the main agricultural commodity in the country).

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