United States (US) Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, resigned on Wednesday, November 13, just days after Donald Trump win.
Ms Whitman, who was born in New York in 1956 and has served in the envoy role since 2022, has quit amid pressure – she has been criticised over a wide range of issues, including abductions and disappearances of civilians, especially after the Gen Z protests in early June.
The Embassy will now be under the leadership of Chargé d’Affaires Marc Dillard.
“I announced to my team at the U.S. embassy that I submitted my resignation to President Biden (outgoing US president). It has been an honour and privilege to serve the American people through strengthening our partnership with Kenya,” she said in a statement.
“I am proud of leading a people-centred agenda that saves lives, increases security, and creates economic opportunities for Kenyans and Americans. From delivering emergency funding to alleviate catastrophic flooding in 2023 to the ongoing fight against malaria, HIV, and MPOX, the U.S government prioritizes the health and welfare of our friends in Kenya,” she added.
She talked about her achievements over the years, including various trade, health and security deals that Kenya signed with the US such as the elevation of Kenya as its first major non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa.
“I have no doubt that our 60 years of partnership will continue to strengthen and serve Americans and Kenyans as we aim to build more prosperous, healthy, secure, and democratic nations.
“Our relations are stronger than ever, and I am confident this trajectory will continue. I will depart Kenya full of gratitude for the team that has worked tirelessly on my behalf, for the opportunity to serve my country, and for the friendship offered by the government and the people of the beautiful Republic of Kenya.”
Whitman, a mathematics and science graduate from Princeton University (1974) and holder of an MBA from Harvard Business School (1979), has also held senior positions in big firms such as Walt Disney in the 1980s and Wall Street where she was a chief executive.
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She had replaced Kyle McCarter, an appointee of Donald Trump’s first term who quit the position in 2021 after Joe Biden trounced Trump. Both were not mainstream ambassadors, but rather political appointees. According to the American tradition of assigning envoys to stations for a period of three years, with the rare exception of extensions, by November 2024, Whitman had around a year left on her term.
