Senators explain why Kenyans wanted US Ambassador Meg Whitman out despite trade promotion

• US Ambassador Meg Whitman recently announced her resignation following Donald Trump’s election victory
• Senators Okiya Omtatah and Richard Onyanka argued that Whitman appeared to be supporting the government rather than standing up for human rights
• Omtatah suggested that Whitman’s tenure showed that the US focused on its own interests in foreign policy over the rights of Kenyan citizens

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than three years in financial, companyand technology research and reporting expertise, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

The US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, recently issued a notice of dismissal next Donald Trump victory in the final US elections.

Many Kenyan leaders stated that Whitman would be remembered as one of the best ambassadors to Kenya for her role in selling Kenya as a trade destination for Western companies.

Others, however, blamed her for her silence and inability to call out President Ruto’s government on various failures in protecting human rights.

Senators accept Meg Whitman’s resignation

Appears on KTNSenators Okiya Omtatah and Richard Onyanka said Whitman appeared to intervene on behalf of the government rather than stand up for human rights and good governance.

Senator Onyanka said one of the reasons why young Kenyans wanted the ambassador out was that many of them felt she was not emerging as a champion of human rights and that she was pro-Ruto.

“For Kenyans, the majority of them actually feel that Ambassador Whitman was promoting American interests. It did not matter if there were human rights violations in the Ruto government, especially the kidnappings,” Onyanka said.

Okiya Omtatah said when he met Whitman for the first time, she pitched to the Kenyan president at a governors’ conference which surprised him because she was a diplomat and not Ruto’s spokesperson.

“The first time I was in the same room with her (Meg Whitman) was when there was a governor’s conference in Eldoret, and she got there and she was pitching to the president, and it surprised me that I have a diplomat who was supposed to represent her country’s interests, was the spokesperson and pitched to President William Ruto,” Omtatah said.

Omtatah noted that in the past, other US ambassadors have intervened on domestic issues in Kenya, but they intervened on behalf of the people, while Whitman appeared to intervene on the side of the government.

Senator Omtath said the good thing about Whitman serving in Kenya is that she has shown that America has its interests and it is about who can serve those interests.

“To me, she has exposed the true nature of American foreign policy in terms of supporting a neo-colonial state and supporting a client state,” Omtatah noted.

Reactions to Meg Whitman’s resignation

Previously, TUKO.co.ke had many Kenyans, including presidential candidate Reuben Kagame, who has repeatedly accused Whitman of undue influence over Kenya’s electoral processes, was elated after Whitman’s resignation.

However, lawyer Miguna Miguna warned that there is not much to celebrate Whitman’s resignation, because her successor could be even worse.

Lawyer Ahmadasir Abdullahi argued that Ambassador Meg Whitman’s tenure in Nairobi has impactful and of great benefit to Kenya and that her departure would therefore leave a void, and that she would be greatly missed by its citizens, Ahmednasir said.

Source: TUKO.co.ke