The United States House Speaker Mike Johnson has turned down a request by top Democrats for President William Ruto to address a joint session of Congress.
The request to address the joint session had been made by the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs in April, which formally requested Speaker Johnson to invite President Ruto to address a joint session of Congress.
But in a statement, Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, Raj Shah, said the speakers’ decision not to invite Ruto to address lawmakers was due to “scheduling constraints”.
“Speaker Johnson welcomes President Ruto to the Capitol.
We have offered the Kenyan embassy over 90 minutes of engagement including a one-on-one visit with Speaker Johnson, (a) bipartisan leadership meeting with Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and Committee Chairmen and Ranking Members, and a bicameral meeting.
Unfortunately, due to scheduling restraints, we could not accommodate a request for remarks before a Joint Session,” he said.
According to Shah, a joint session consumes a lot of energy on Capitol Hill.
The chamber closes for hours, a security headache, and the House leadership loses a large chunk of the day’s floor time.
Last month, Committee Chairman Michael McGaul and Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks wrote to Speaker Johnson asking him to send a formal invitation to Nairobi to coincide with Ruto’s upcoming state visit to Washington in late May.
“This year, we are celebrating the historic 60th anniversary of the US-Kenya diplomatic relationship.
Such an invitation would underscore the importance of the US-Kenya relationship and send a valuable signal to the people of Africa,” the two lawmakers said.
After the Speaker’s decision, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal blasted Speaker Johnson’s failure to recognize the importance of this diplomatic relation.
“Africa and its people helped shape our great nation, allowing it to become the superpower that it is today.
Strengthening ties across the continent, including with a key strategic partner, Kenya, is of great importance to our shared economic aspirations and democratic values,” part of the statement read.
He added that the continent deserves the same level of respect given to its partners in other parts of the world.
He noted that the Republican leadership has invited Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and President Yoon Suk Yeol to address joint meetings of Congress during their official visits to the United States, and “I see no reason why President William Ruto’s upcoming state visit should be any different.
Even in times of great tragedy and global conflict, the Congress has historically shown a depth of focus, and amid appliance acts, there should be time to recognize the importance of President Ruto’s visit.”
Ruto would have been the first Kenyan leader to address a joint meeting of Congress and the first African leader to do so since Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf spoke in the House chamber in 2006.
President Ruto is scheduled to be in Washington, US, on May 23, 2024 on an official State visit where he will be hosted by US President Joe Biden.
The White House has confirmed that President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Ruto and his wife, First Lady Rachel Ruto, for a state visit on May 23 to mark the 60th anniversary of U.S.-Kenya diplomatic relations.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Dr. Korir Sing’oei revealed Wednesday night among others, Ruto will hold a bilateral meeting with President Biden.
“They will consolidate conversations around our defense cooperation,” he said during a TV show.
He added the President will be hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce and there will be a number of deals that will be sealed in that context.
Ruto and his team will be hosted for dinner which is usually a big event that will bring the big players within the American society.
Ruto will later fly to Georgia and visit the Tyler Perry studios.
There, he will be with Tyler Perry, a number of players within the Hollywood ecosystem would be able to have a conversation with him in relation to how they can work together with Kenya to unlock the potential of film at large, he added.
Tyler Perry is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of Mabel “Madea” Simmons, a tough elderly woman, and also portrays her brother Joe Simmons and her nephew Brian Simmons.
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