This archive report was first published on 13 October 2021.
Published on October 13, 2021, US President Joe Biden will host Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at the White House on Thursday to discuss financial transparency, security, and human rights, amidst ongoing crises in Kenya and Ethiopia.
The meeting comes as President Kenyatta faces allegations of stashing Sh3 billion in offshore accounts, as revealed in the Pandora Papers. President Kenyatta has promised to respond to the accusations when he returns later this week.
On the sidelines of the UN Security Council meeting, President Kenyatta indicated that the revelations did not mention his name in particular nor imply criminal motive. 'My name, first and foremost is not there,' he told a media stake-out after the Council meeting on Tuesday in New York.
President Biden's meeting with President Kenyatta will be the first time an African President has been hosted at the White House. The meeting will also come at a time the US has pressured Ethiopia to toe the line and start dialogue with the Tigray People's Liberation Front, a one-time ruling party now proscribed in Ethiopia.
Kenya, a member of the Security Council until next year in December, has said Ethiopia needs encouragement, not sanctions for parties to lay down arms, open humanitarian corridors and discuss the future.
