The US ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, has been asked to “ignore noise from the Opposition” and perform her diplomatic duties by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The Azimio leader Raila Odinga and his supporters have criticized Ambassador Whitman for calling the 2022 Kenyan election the “most credible election in Kenyan history.”
“I want to urge Ambassador Meg to ignore the noises and acclimatize to the Kenyan way of doing things -Perennial complaints year after year, she should stay focused and go on with her work,” Gachagua said Friday when he presided over the closing ceremony of the 10th Devolution Conference in Eldoret.
Earlier President William Ruto had also weighed in on the matter, saying Whitman “only stated facts.”
“The American ambassador said two statements of facts; she said the last election was the freest and the fairest in the history of Kenya, which is a statement of fact, she said Kenya is open for business which is also a statement of fact,” Ruto said Friday when he presided over the 2Jiajiri/GIZ Graduation Ceremony in Nairobi’s Kasarani area.
Gachagua praised Ambassador Whitman as Kenya’s “good friend” for actively contributing to the expansion of trade ties between Kenya and the US.
Gachagua claimed that as a result of her work, the US is today Kenya’s biggest commercial partner globally.
Gachagua stated that Ambassador Whitman “deserves commendation, not vilification for being truthful,” rather than criticism.
“She has taken time to sit with the president, to sit with me, to sit with our Cabinet ministers to unlock business opportunities and to bring investors from America,” he added.
Gachagua further asked Odinga and his allies to be respectful to the country’s development partners and refrain from dragging them into their internal wrangles.