Kenyan Government has signed a one-year, $1.2 million (Sh124 million) deal with a Washington lobbying firm in a bid to improve relations with the U.S government, reports Business Daily.
The firm, Sonoran Policy Group (SPG) has close ties with Trump’s administration.
According to documents filed with the U.S Department of Justice, Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs entered the agreement with SPG on May 25 and filed a disclosure on June 6.
Kenya’s deputy head of mission at Kenya’s Washington embassy David Gacheru signed the contract together with SPG’s executive chairman and founder Robert Stryk.
SPG is expected to establish smooth relations between Kenyan and U.S government.
“SPG will provide US congressional and executive branch brand engagement to cement and deepen relations between Kenya and the US government as well as between the people of Kenya and the US,” part of the agreement reads.
Also, SPG will emphatically focus on “assisting the Embassy of Kenya achieve its objectives on the issues of tourism, trade, investment and Agoa.”
The deal will effectively run up to May 25, 2018. Kenya has pledged to pay the firm on a quarterly basis, $300,000 ( sh30 million) in four quarters.
The firm had kept a low profile until the election of Trump as 45th U.S President.
Former national field director for Trump’s White House campaign, Stuart Jolly, was appointed president of SPG.
Robin Townley, a former U.S Marines intelligence officer and had previously worked as Trump White House post as Africa director at the National Security Council was appointed SPG’s Vice President.
Since Trump’s inauguration, the firm has landed several high ranking clients besides Kenya.
Arabia’s Interior Ministry, New Zealand’s Washington embassy, the Office of the President of the Czech Republic and the Korean International Trade Association are some of the other entities that have contracted SPG.
