US Ambassador to Kenya Robert Godec will lead a delegation from the Donald Trump led government to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s swearing –in on Tuesday.
A statement from the State Department suggested Godec will be the highest-ranking US official at the inauguration fete.
“Ambassador Godec will be the highest-ranking US government representative at the inauguration, but will not be the only USG [US government] representative present,” wrote the State Department in response to enquiries by Daily Nation on the constitution of the US officials to attend the fete.
Absence of other senior officials from the US government has sent mixed signals in US-Kenya relations after the second elections held on October 26.
In both instances, Uhuru emerged the winner.
Besides the US officials, 11 heads of state have already confirmed their attendance to the fete to be held at Kasarani.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among heads of state to attend the inauguration ceremony.
Others are Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Botswana’s Ian Khama, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, Tanzania’s John Pombe Magufuli and Edgar Lungu of Zambia.
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia, Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, Ismaïl Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, Mohamed Farmajo of Somalia and Namibia’s Hage Geingob will attend.
Nigeria, Guinea, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Yemen will send their Vice Presidents.
Senegal, China and Japan will send special envoys. South Africa, Britain and Ukraine will send their ministers.