The planned visit of United States Vice President JD Vance to Kenya has officially been called off following the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, confirmed the news in a statement, explaining that the decision came after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered that no American officials should attend the upcoming G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Vance’s scheduled visit to Nairobi was tied to his attendance at the G20 Summit, which was set to take place later this month. Since the Vice President was expected to travel to Kenya immediately after the summit, the cancellation of the South Africa trip automatically affected his Kenya visit.
“The Government of the Republic of Kenya, through the office of H.E. Dr. Musalia Mudavadi, E.G.H., Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, has been officially informed by the Government of the United States of America that the planned visit to Kenya by the Vice President, His Excellency JD Vance, will no longer take place,” Mudavadi said.
“The cancellation follows President Donald Trump’s directive that no American officials shall attend the forthcoming G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Vice President Vance was expected to lead the U.S. delegation before traveling to Nairobi.”
Despite the cancellation, Mudavadi assured that Kenya’s diplomatic relations with the United States remain strong and that the decision would not strain the close partnership between the two nations.
He emphasized that both countries continue to enjoy long-standing cooperation in critical areas such as trade, investment, security, education, health, and diaspora relations.
“Kenya values its enduring and strategic partnership with the United States, which spans across key sectors including trade and investment, security cooperation, education, health, and diaspora engagement,” Mudavadi stated.
“The Government remains confident that this development will not in any way weaken the strong and friendly ties between our two nations.”
Vance’s planned visit would have marked the first official trip to Kenya by a senior member of the U.S. Executive since President Donald Trump began his second term in office.
Reports of the intended visit first emerged through Africa Intelligence on October 25, though details of his itinerary had not been made public.
He was expected to travel to Nairobi following the G20 Summit, which was scheduled for November 22 and 23.
Meanwhile, President Trump defended his decision to withdraw U.S. participation from the summit, claiming that South Africa was mistreating its white minority citizens.
“It is a total disgrace that the G20 will be held in South Africa,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on Friday, accusing the South African government of committing “human rights atrocities” against white farmers.
The cancellation has drawn attention globally, given the significance of U.S.-Kenya relations and the potential discussions that would have taken place during the Vice President’s visit.
However, both governments have expressed optimism that bilateral cooperation will continue to thrive despite the temporary setback.
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