By TWV Team
President William Ruto on Wednesday met United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to a dispatch from the US State Department, Rubio praised Kenya’s bold contributions to peace and security in Haiti.
“Both Secretary Rubio and President Ruto emphasised the need for urgent action at the UN to establish a Gang Suppression Force and a UN Support Office for Haiti, to combat gang violence and restore the country to the path of stability. The Secretary and President Ruto also discussed US–Kenya security co-operation and Kenya’s pivotal role in ensuring regional stability,” Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
They also explored opportunities for increased US commercial investment in key sectors of the Kenyan economy. Earlier, in an interview with the media, Ruto revealed that Kenya expects to sign a trade deal with the United States by the end of the year and that he would push Washington to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for at least five more years.
The 25-year-old law, enacted during President Bill Clinton’s tenure, grants qualifying African nations duty-free access to the US market. It is due to expire at the end of this month. “I will be asking him for the US to seriously consider renewing and extending AGOA for at least a minimum of five years, because it is a platform that connects Africa and the US in a very fundamental way, and it can go a long way in addressing some of the trade deficits and challenges that exist at the moment,” Ruto told Reuters. “AGOA gives both Africa and the US the best chance to expand and deepen trade,” he added.
Kenya has been negotiating a strategic partnership deal with the US since 2021, and Ruto said the two countries had made “good progress”. He expressed hope that President Donald Trump would sign off on an agreement by year-end.
Beyond the looming expiry of AGOA, which threatens Kenya’s apparel and floriculture sectors, the country is also grappling with a 10 per cent tariff imposed by Trump earlier this year as part of his “America First” policy, which he has been advancing globally since his return to the White House.
Ruto also addressed Kenya’s close relations with China, a key economic and military rival of the US. He maintained, however, that Kenya would continue seeking trade partnerships with multiple countries, while noting that the balance of trade with the US was relatively even. “We have a trade deficit in favour of China, but the one with the US is fairly balanced. We are therefore exploring avenues to balance trade with all our partners,” he said.
