Details of President Ruto's Meeting With Bill Gates on Monday

On Monday evening, President William Ruto had a virtual meeting with American billionaire Bill Gates and officials from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. 

During the meeting, Ruto spoke about the positive impact the foundation has had in Kenya. He highlighted the significance of collaborating with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to address climate change, a cause he has been promoting on a global scale. The meeting comes a few days before Ruto is set to host the inaugural Africa Climate Summit for African leaders, scheduled from September 4-6.

Ruto applauded the foundation's advancements in ensuring better living standards for Kenyans. The conference was also graced by Rodger Voorhies who is responsible for the Climate Change arm of the establishment. Bill Gates, who made his fortune from Microsoft, has invested in businesses with no carbon footprint and other diversified holdings. 

After almost three decades of being married, Bill and Melinda Gates took to Twitter in May 2021 to announce their split.  As part of their divorce settlement, Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, transferred at least $6 billion worth of shares in public companies to his ex-wife Melinda Gates. The Gates Foundation, a charitable organization founded by the couple, has plans to build a regional hub in Kenya with a focus on agriculture and ICT. 

The Kenyan cabinet has already ratified the establishment of the headquarters which will be located in Nairobi. Cheikh Oumar Seydi, who leads the foundation's work in Africa, joined Gates and the Kenyan President in discussing the project. Gates has donated over $59 billion to the foundation, including a $20 billion gift announced in July 2022, most of which were gifts of Microsoft stock.