Lazarus Amayo on Friday formally took over as the Kenya ambassador to the United States.
This was after he presented his credentials to President Donald Trump at a ceremony at the White House. He has been waiting for the formalisation for a year, after his appointment.
“Today (July 17), at White House, Washington DC, Ambassador Lazarus Amayo presented His Letters of Credence to HE President Donald Trump accrediting him as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kenya to the United States,” said a statement from the embassy.
Amayo has been the ambassador and permanent representative of Kenya to the United Nations and has for the past year served in both capacities.
He was appointed to the position by President Uhuru Kenyatta in May last year to replace Njeru Githae, who served in the post for five years before he was moved to Vienna, Austria.
Amayo was among seven foreign diplomats, who presented their Letters of Credence to Trump in a ceremony at the White House on Friday. Others were from Zambia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Guatemala, Moldova and Benin.
President Trump and Amayo both cited the recent launch of negotiations that could culminate in a historic Kenya-US free trade and investment agreement. For the United States, it would be the first time to enter into such pact with a sub-Saharan nation.
Trump noted that Amayo's arrival in Washington signified the many years of friendship between Kenya and the United States and the commitment to advance existing strategic partnership across diverse areas of cooperation.
Amayo expressed Kenya’s appreciation for the recent commitment of $6.6 million by the US Government through the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to boost prevention, preparedness, and response to Covid-19.
He reiterated the country’s commitment to collaborate with the United States and other international partners in seeking a long-term remedy to the pandemic.
