US Under Secretary Gil Kaplan Leads US Delegation for Three-Day Visit to Kenya

A delegation of 60 businesspeople from the the United States has landed in Kenya for a three-day visit.

American embassy in Nairobi said the delegation, which is led by US Under Secretary for International Trade Gil Kaplan, arrived at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Wednesday.

“Gil Kaplan will be leading a 60 person delegation consisting of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, senior U.S. Govt officials and business executives to Kenya for trade engagements from Wednesday to Friday June 30th,” the embassy said on Twitter.

In a press briefing last week, State House Deputy Spokesperson Kanze Dena said the US investors would be in Kenya to strengthen business ties.

“The main aim is to strengthen economic partnership and exploring avenues through which they can invest in our economy,” Dena said.

Dena further noted that the US business leaders will mainly focus on investments under President Uhuru's "Big Four" agenda; namely manufacturing, universal healthcare, affordable housing and food security.

“We are keen to ensure that our economy creates employment opportunities for our youth even as our economy grows,” she pointed out.

The delegation include President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PACDBIA) as well as senior US government officials and business executives.

Executives of American corporations including Bechtel, Visa, IBM, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, Acrow Bridge, Amethyst, Citi, and GE are part of the team.