The United States (US) President Joe Biden will host Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for a meeting in Washington on Thursday, reported CGTN Africa.
Kenyatta is the first African president to visit Washington since Biden became president in January 2021.
“The leaders will discuss the strong U.S.-Kenyan bilateral relationship and the need to bring transparency and accountability to domestic and international financial systems,” a statement by the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
Psaki said the two leaders will also have discussions on steps to defend democracy and human rights, accelerate economic growth, and tackle climate change.
Biden and Kenyatta previously had a telephonic conversation in February, during which the US president expressed his administration’s commitment to Washington’s partnership with Africa based on principles of mutual respect and equality.
The meeting comes just a few days after Biden signed an executive order that threatened to impose sanctions on Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other political leaders involved in the Tigray conflict if nothing is done to end the 11-month-old war.
The situation in Tigray appears to get worsened; with Tigrayan rebel forces saying Ethiopia’s government has begun a major military offensive against them in an attempt to end the war. The conflict has killed hundreds of people and forced thousands to flee their homes since the political dispute turned deadly in November last year.
The US government has warned to slap sanctions if there is not a dramatic shift on the ground. The United Nations has warned that large numbers of people are living in human-made famine-like conditions in the war-hit region. The UN has blamed the situation on a government blockade on relief and aid supplies.
The US and United Nations say the Ethiopian army has prevented trucks carrying food and other aid from reaching Tigray. The Ethiopian government on its part continues to reject international meddling in its internal affairs.
