Amina Mohammed apologises over President Uhuru Kenyatta’s cancelled US trip

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed

The Government has apologised to Kenyans living in the United States over an aborted trip by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

A statement from the Foreign Affairs ministry said Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohammed had tendered an apology over the cancelled trip, during which President Kenyatta was scheduled to attend the annual Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, California.

The apology was issued at a diaspora gathering in Los Angeles, where hundreds of Kenyans were expecting to be addressed by the President.

"The President asked me to pass his best regards and to assure you of his solidarity with all Kenyans living, working and studying in California and other states of America,” said Ms Mohammed.

The diaspora gathering was attended by Kenya's ambassador to the US, Robinson Githae, who urged Kenyans living in the US to take advantage of the newly-created diaspora desk to advance their interests both at home and abroad.

Other issues discussed at the meeting were the role of the diaspora in the country's economic development and the huge costs of sending money home.

"We are developing an incentive framework on remittances, which includes lowering the cost of diaspora transactions and aggregate diaspora remittances. We are also exploring possibilities of preferential duty waivers and other concessions for diaspora businesses," said the CS.

Her apology came in the wake of speculation on the real reasons behind the President's aborted trip.

Paddy Mwaura, a representative of Kenyans in the diaspora, asked the Government to help returning professionals, especially engineers and lawyers who are finding it hard to fit in Kenya because of "unfair requirements by professional bodies". The CS said the President would travel to the US before the year ends.