The United States Senate has confirmed career diplomat Henry Wooster as the next US Ambassador to Kenya.
Wooster’s nomination by President Donald Trump was approved through unanimous consent on Wednesday, September 30, alongside nine other ambassadorial nominees.
According to Senate records, Wooster is a career member of the US Senior Foreign Service and holds the rank of Minister-Counselor.
His confirmation came after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reviewed his nomination during a hearing held on September 16.
The Senate also approved ambassadors-designate to Benin, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Malaysia, Cabo Verde, Kyrgyzstan, Togo, Malawi and Nicaragua through unanimous consent.
Wooster has held senior diplomatic assignments across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia.
He previously served as US Ambassador to Jordan between 2020 and 2023, where he handled US diplomatic and security interests during a period of heightened regional activity.
His other assignments include Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Paris, as well as senior positions at the US Department of State and the National Security Council.
In Washington, Wooster served as Director for Central Asia and as a Foreign Policy Adviser to the US Special Operations Command. He also held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary overseeing policy issues involving Iran, Egypt and the Maghreb.
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Earlier in his diplomatic career, he served in Islamabad, Pakistan, and in other overseas postings dealing with political and security affairs.
Wooster holds a bachelor’s degree from Amherst College and a master’s degree from Yale University. He also served in the US Army Reserve between 1985 and 2009.
He will succeed Meg Whitman, who served as US Ambassador to Kenya before resigning from the position in November 2024.
Whitman announced her resignation in a statement dated November 13, saying she had submitted it to then-President Joe Biden and informed staff at the US Embassy in Nairobi.
Following her departure, Marc Dillard served as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy pending the appointment of a new ambassador.
