President Ruto: US now Kenya’s biggest tourism, investment partner

Speaking at State House on Wednesday during the 12th National and County Governments Coordinating Summit, President Ruto described the bilateral relationship as “solid,” noting that while every nation has its own interests, collaboration has strengthened Kenya-U.S. ties.

“The relationship we have with the government of the United States is one I am very proud of. Cooperation has enhanced our mutual interests,” he said.

The President highlighted that the United States has become Kenya’s largest source of tourists. “Tourists from the United States have overtaken traditional markets, including the UK and Italy. Last year alone, 306,000 Americans visited Kenya, making it our biggest tourist market,” he revealed.

He further noted that U.S. investors are among the largest contributors to Kenya’s economic growth. Looking ahead, President Ruto suggested that Kenya could soon become the first African nation to conclude a bilateral trade agreement with the United States.

The announcement coincides with the signing of a five-year U.S.-Kenya cooperation framework in Washington on Thursday. 

The agreement aims to support Kenya’s priority health programs and strengthen the long-term sustainability of the national health system. Under the framework, the U.S. government will invest Ksh.208 billion into Kenya’s health institutions over the next five years.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale emphasized that Kenya retains full ownership of all data and intellectual property under the agreement. He clarified that the framework operates at an aggregate level, using information presented in dashboards and national reports, and does not involve sharing private data such as names, ID numbers, phone contacts, addresses, or individual medical files.

“The agreement sets clear safeguards: to the maximum extent practical, Kenya shall not provide individual-level data or personally identifiable information to the U.S. government. This protects Kenyans and addresses public concerns,” CS Duale said.

He also noted that the framework aligns with Kenya’s legal and constitutional requirements, including the Constitution, the Health Act 2017, the Data Protection Act 2019, and the Digital Health Act 2023.

CS Duale added that the agreement will accelerate efforts to eliminate HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, while supporting Kenya’s transition to fully self-reliant national health systems by 2030.

The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi reassured Kenyans that the framework ensures health data remains safe, unidentifiable, and under Kenyan control. The funding is a direct government-to-government assistance package, not a loan, intended to reduce reliance on fragmented donor-led programs.

As part of the agreement, Kenya has committed to increasing its domestic health expenditure by Ksh.850 million over the five-year period.

With this historic deal, Kenya has become the first African country to sign a government-to-government health cooperation agreement with the United States, marking a significant milestone in bilateral relations.