President William Ruto boarding a plane at a past trip. Photo/File
By Newsflash Writer
President William Ruto on Tuesday departed Nairobi for Washington, D.C., where he is expected to join Presidents Donald J. Trump, Paul Kagame and Félix Tshisekedi for the historic signing of the DRC–Rwanda Peace Agreement.
The State House described the upcoming event as the most significant breakthrough in resolving decades of conflict in Eastern DRC. The visit follows an official invitation from President Trump.
According to a statement by State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, the Washington signing builds on progress made under the Nairobi and Luanda Peace Processes, as well as the joint EAC–SADC diplomatic initiatives. The meeting is expected to gather all key parties and unlock new pathways for disarmament, demobilisation, humanitarian access and long-term stability across the conflict-prone region.
Focus on regional peace
While in Washington, President Ruto will take part in a series of high-level engagements aimed at strengthening Kenya’s strategic relations with the United States, particularly in trade, investment, security and health cooperation.
A major highlight of the visit will be witnessing the signing of the Kenya–U.S. Health Cooperation Framework.
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The deal shifts the existing 25-year partnership into a more sustainable, government-led model that aims to advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and build a self-reliant national health system by 2030.
State House emphasized that the revamped framework is designed to deepen collaboration in health financing, disease surveillance, medical workforce development and access to high-quality essential health services. The government sees the partnership as a cornerstone for accelerating progress toward UHC while reducing Kenya’s dependency on donor-supported programmes.
Kenya’s economic transformation agenda
In addition to peace and health cooperation, President Ruto is expected to use the Washington trip to champion Kenya’s new economic transformation blueprint. According to the statement, the President will outline Kenya’s ambition to transition into a first-world economy driven by human capital development, massive infrastructure expansion, agro-industrial growth and large-scale irrigation supported by extensive dam construction.
Ruto will also push for Public–Private Partnership (PPP) investments in key sectors such as energy, water, agriculture and manufacturing, with a particular emphasis on affordable, reliable energy to support industrialization.
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These engagements are part of Kenya’s strategy to deepen international investor confidence and attract long-term capital into sectors deemed central to the country’s growth.
The President’s visit comes amid growing global attention on peace efforts in the Great Lakes region and rising interest in Kenya’s economic reforms. State House expressed confidence that the Washington mission will strengthen Kenya’s diplomatic footprint while advancing the country’s long-term development priorities.
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