President William Ruto arrived at the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday afternoon, ahead of a busy four-day visit to the United States.
He will be in Washington later in the week to meet his US counterpart, Joe Biden. The crisis in Haiti and bilateral trade ties will be on the agenda.
It is the first state visit by a Kenyan president to the United States in two decades and the first by an African leader since 2008.
During their talks scheduled for Thursday, President Biden and President Ruto will focus on trade and security partnerships. This includes Kenya’s commitment to lead a UN-backed multinational mission aimed at restoring order in Haiti, which has been plagued by gang violence.
The first batch of the 1,000-strong Kenyan security personnel, alongside officers pledged by other countries, are expected to arrive in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, this week, despite a legal challenge in Nairobi against the deployment.
Despite the legal and funding stumbling blocks, the Kenyan President insists the deployment is a “mission for humanity”, and he is expected to ask the US to increase its financial commitment to the move.
While the US has committed over $300 million since the crisis erupted, it has declined to puts on the ground as part of the United Nations force.
Ruto will arrive in the US on Monday and, among other engagements, visit the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.
On Tuesday, he is billed to visit the 330-acre studio owned by entertainment mogul Tyler Perry before meeting a Congressional delegation the next day for trade talks.