President William Ruto is set to leave the country for Washington, D.C., for a key diplomatic mission at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a statement on Tuesday, December 2, State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed said Ruto will join Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) President Félix Tshisekedi for the signing of a new peace agreement, ending decades of conflict in Eastern DRC.
"At the invitation of President Donald J. Trump, President William Ruto departs this afternoon for Washington, D.C., in the U.S.A. to join President Paul Kagame and President Félix Tshisekedi in witnessing the official signing of the DRC-Rwanda Peace Agreement; the most significant breakthrough in addressing decades of conflict in Eastern DRC," the statement read.
State House added that the deal builds on the Nairobi and Luanda processes and the joint EAC-SADC initiative, bringing all key actors together to unlock progress on security and humanitarian priorities.
"Building on the Nairobi and Luanda Peace Processes as well as the joint EAC-SADC initiative, the Washington signing brings together all key parties and is expected to unlock pathways for disarmament, demobilisation, humanitarian access, and long-term stabilisation," the statement added.
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According Mohamed, Ruto will also participate in engagements focused on advancing Kenya’s interests in trade, investment, health cooperation, and security.
He will additionally witness the signing of a new Kenya-U.S. health cooperation framework.
"While in Washington, the President will participate in engagements aimed at advancing Kenya's strategic interests in trade, investment, health cooperation, and security.
"He will also witness the signing of the Kenya-U.S. Health Cooperation Framework, which shifts the 25-year partnership to a sustainable, government-led model aimed at advancing Universal Health Coverage and supporting a self-reliant health system by 2030," the statement further read.
State House said Ruto will also use his engagements to seek Public-Private Partnership investments in key sectors such as infrastructure, agro-industry, irrigation, and energy security.
"In all scheduled engagements, President Ruto will endeavour to outline Kenya's new economic transformation agenda towards a first-world economy, driven by human capital development, infrastructure expansion, agro-industrial growth, and expanded irrigation through extensive dam construction. He will seek Public-Private Partnership (PPP) investment in these priority sectors, alongside enhanced energy security initiatives, to support the country's long-term development aspirations," the statement concluded.
The visit comes months after the government welcomed the peace agreement signed between Rwanda and DRC after decades of conflict in the Great Lakes region.
In a statement on Saturday, June 28, Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’Oei praised the development as a crucial milestone for regional and global stability.
"We commend Rwanda and DRC for this agreement, the dividends of which will accrue to the people of these two countries, the region and our world.
"The involvement of the United States in this process has been a vital success factor building on the foundational efforts by the Heads of States of EAC-SADC," he said.
The agreement was brokered under the auspices of the United States, with high-level involvement from top officials and key regional blocs including the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
