US Ambassador to Nairobi Meg Whitman resigned on Wednesday, a week after the stunning comeback of Donald Trump to the White House and amid sustained calls from Kenyans for her to go.
Ms Whitman, an American billionaire who became only the second female US ambassador to Kenya, said she had tendered her resignation to outgoing US President Joe Biden.
The embassy will now be run by charge d’affaires Marc Dillard.
In a press statement, Ms Whitman highlighted her achievements in the post, citing the various trade, health and security deals that Kenya signed with the US, such as the elevation of Kenya as the first major non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa.
“I am proud of leading a people-centered 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 US government prioritises the health and welfare of our friends in Kenya,” Ms Whitman said in a statement.
The former Wall Street chief executive arrived in Kenya just as Nairobi prepared for elections in which William Ruto won to become the fifth President in 2022. She had replaced Kyle McCarter, an appointee of Donald Trump’s first term, who left in early 2021 after Biden replaced Trump. Both were political appointees, not mainstream diplomats.
Ms Whitman had about a year left in her term, following the American tradition of sending envoys to stations for three years, with rare exceptions for extensions.
In her time, Ms Whitman pushed for stronger business ties with Nairobi, but also came under fire for supposedly looking the other way when government operatives violated civil liberties.
A public defender of the Ruto presidency, she was once described by opposition leader Raila Odinga as a ‘rogue ambassador’, although the two have sinced reconciled as evidenced by their appearances at public events. Mr Odinga himself has since realigned with Dr Ruto.
But Ms Whitman has also been criticised for failing to speak out about abuses, including abductions and disappearances of civilians, especially after the Gen Z protests in June. Western diplomatic missions took about ten days before condemning the violence.
Two weeks ago, however, she condemned reported police use of mobile phone tracking to nail suspects, following an expose by the Nation. But critics accused her of refusing to sign a statement by envoys’ statement calling for urgent investigations into disappearances.
Prominent lawyer Gitobu Imanyara publicly called on Trump to recall her, saying “we as Kenyans have something to celebrate” if the new President ends her tenure.
Ms Whitman herself is a Republican and was an unsuccessful contender for governor of California seat in 2010. She was also a senior member of former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s campaigns. Romney lost to Barack Obama.
In the 2016 elections, however, Ms Whitman threw her weight behind Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who lost to Donald Trump. In the 2020 polls, she supported the current President Joe Biden.
Born in 1956 in New York, Ms Whitman studied mathematics and science at Princeton University (1974) and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School (1979). She has served in senior roles at some of the largest corporations in the world, having been an executive at Walt Disney in the 1980s.
On Wednesday, she also expressed confidence that relationship between Kenya and America would continue under the new administration.
“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,” she said in her resignation statement.
