{"id":81098,"date":"2024-06-25T19:46:04","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T19:46:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/25\/kenya-protests-are-a-blow-to-bidens-embrace-of-president-ruto\/"},"modified":"2024-06-25T19:46:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T19:46:05","slug":"kenya-protests-are-a-blow-to-bidens-embrace-of-president-ruto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/25\/kenya-protests-are-a-blow-to-bidens-embrace-of-president-ruto\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenya Protests Are a Blow to Biden\u2019s Embrace of President Ruto"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kenya<\/div>


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The street turmoil that swept Kenya\u2019s capital on Tuesday represented a blow to the Biden administration\u2019s tight embrace of President William Ruto, a strong U.S. ally on a continent where American influence is rapidly waning.<\/p>\n

Just a day earlier, President Biden had formally named<\/a> Kenya a major non-NATO ally, and Mr. Ruto had seen off a first group of 400 Kenyan police officers headed to Haiti on a contentious security mission that is largely financed by the United States.<\/p>\n

The non-NATO ally designation, which clears the way for greater security cooperation between Kenya and the United States, was one of the main outcomes of Mr. Ruto\u2019s state visit to Washington last month, the first by an African leader in 16 years. At the White House, the Kenyan leader was feted with a state dinner that included celebrity guests and former President Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan.<\/p>\n

For Mr. Ruto, the state visit was the high point of a globe-trotting presidency. He has visited dozens of countries<\/a> since being declared the winner of a fiercely contested presidential election in August 2022. For the Biden administration, it was an opportunity to cement a major relationship in Africa at a time when rivals like Russia and China have expanded their influence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n