Kenya’s President joins Kagame and Tshisekedi of DRC at the White House as the U.S. brokers a historic DRC–Rwanda peace accord—and deepens its strategic ties with Nairobi.
Kemi Osukoya | Updated December 3, 2025
Kenya’s President William Ruto will attend a landmark ceremony at the White House on Thursday, where U.S. President Donald J. Trump will host Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi for the official signing of the ratified U.S.-brokered DRC–Rwanda Peace Agreement.
President Trump invited President Ruto to serve as one of the principal witnesses—an acknowledgment of Kenya’s central role in regional diplomacy and a reaffirmation of Washington’s deepening partnership with Nairobi.
The accord, regarded by U.S. officials and African negotiators as the most significant breakthrough in decades of efforts to end conflict in eastern Congo, builds on years of continental and international mediations, including the Nairobi and Luanda Peace processes, the joint EAC–SADC initiative and the Qatari-led efforts.
The historic ceremony brings all principal parties to the table and is expected to unlock long-stalled pathways for disarmament, demobilization of armed groups, humanitarian access, and long-term regional stabilization.
Ruto’s Visit Signals a New Phase in U.S.–Kenya Relations
President Ruto’s presence in Washington extends well beyond his role at the peace summit. His visit, which builds on decades of bilateral democratic and economic relations, marks a critical moment in Kenya’s evolving strategic relationship with the United States, with both nations poised to expand long-term cooperation in trade, investment, health, and security, including the ongoing bilateral trade negotiation that was initiated during President Trump’s first term.
During his engagements in Washington, the Kenyan President is expected to highlight Kenya’s modernized economic transformation agenda—an ambitious blueprint aimed at propelling the country toward a first-world economy through human capital development, large-scale infrastructure expansion, agro-industrial growth and export productivity, massive irrigation and water-access projects supported by nationwide dam construction and energy diversification to sustain long-term growth
The Kenyan President’s spokesperson said Kenya will also seek significant Public–Private Partnership investments across these priority areas, positioning itself as a stable, fast-growing anchor economy in East and Central Africa.
A Milestone in Health Diplomacy
One of the highlights of Ruto’s trip to the U.S.—his first official visit to the White House since a State Visit in 2024,—is the signing of the Kenya–U.S. Health Cooperation Framework, a major shift in the 25-year partnership between the two nations.
The new framework transitions health cooperation from donor-driven programs to a sustainable, government-led model designed to advance Universal Health Coverage and build a self-reliant national health system by 2030.
The agreement is expected to strengthen Kenya’s medical supply chains, health workforce training, disease surveillance systems, and digital health innovation—key pillars for a resilient, future-ready healthcare ecosystem.
Kenya’s Growing Regional Economic Influence
Ruto arrives in Washington emphasizing Kenya’s strengthened economic footing. He notes that the country now holds the highest dollar reserves in its history at $12.1 billion, alongside a recent International Monetary Fund report ranking Kenya as Africa’s 6th-largest economy, surpassing Angola and Ethiopia.
The nation’s credit rating has also improved from B- to B, signaling growing investor confidence.
“You don’t transform a country by making popular, easy decisions,” Ruto told an audience in Kenya earlier this week, underscoring the bold fiscal and structural reforms driving Kenya’s macroeconomic rebound.
Since assuming office, Ruto has pursued aggressive reforms to stabilize Kenya’s macroeconomic environment. His administration emphasizes difficult, long-range choices rather than short-term political wins.
From fiscal tightening to mega infrastructure and industrial expansion, Ruto has chart an ambitious path toward a first-world economy through his economic transformation agenda that has become one of the continent’s most closely watched national development blueprints.
During his 2024 State Visit to the U.S., Kenya secured over $6 billion in investments from both the public and private sectors, including Microsoft’s $1 billion investment in a data center.
Framed around self-reliance, industrial capacity, and infrastructure modernization, Ruto’s economic agenda aims to reposition Kenya as a globally competitive, high-income economy by the early 2030s.
Kenya’s transformative agenda puts human capital at the center of its growth strategy, treating talent as the engine driving every sector of the economy. The plan accelerates investment in technical and vocational training, digital learning infrastructure, and large-scale youth upskilling to meet global demand in technology, services, and healthcare. At the same time, strengthened social health insurance ensures a healthier, more productive workforce ready to compete in modern markets.
Like other nations on the continent dealing with significant infrastructure deficits, Ruto has framed developments as the foundation of a modern nation as Kenya enters a new era of infrastructure build-out aimed at unlocking economic productivity.
Major components of these developments include a nationwide dam construction to support irrigation, water storage, and food security, high-capacity highways that link agricultural zones to markets, and expansion of Nairobi’s commuter rail and urban transit systems, and upgrades to the Port of Mombasa and the Northern Corridor.
With its Feed Kenya agenda, an agricultural growth and modernization strategy built on three pillars: irrigation-driven food production, value-added processing plants, and export diversification aims to reduce food imports, increase rural incomes, and transform agriculture from subsistence to industry.
Reliable and affordable energy is the backbone of manufacturing and the digital economy. Building on its global leadership in geothermal energy, Kenya is scaling up new geothermal fields, accelerating major wind and solar projects, investing in energy storage, and deploying mini-grids to power underserved regions—creating a stronger, greener, and more resilient energy ecosystem for business growth.
To boost domestic revenue and cut long-term debt reliance, Ruto’s plan leans heavily on Public–Private Partnerships, with Kenya targeting U.S., Gulf, and European investors across manufacturing, infrastructure, technology, health systems, and agricultural value chains.
A Historic Moment for the Great Lakes—and for U.S.–Africa Engagement
President Ruto’s strategy is positioning Kenya as a global-ready African powerhouse, and his Washington visit not only underscores the country’s growing weight as a diplomatic, economic, and innovation hub, but also as a rising diplomatic clout and regional influence. As East Africa’s economic powerhouse and a trusted mediator, Nairobi has helped drive key peace efforts across the region. Its role in the Washington ceremony signals U.S. recognition of Kenya as a stabilizing force—and as a strategic partner for market access, counterterrorism, maritime security, and strengthening global supply-chain resilience.
For Kagame and Tshisekedi, the Washington Peace Agreement represents a potential turning point in a region long destabilized by armed groups, contested borders, and protracted humanitarian suffering. For the U.S., hosting the signing underscores its renewed involvement in shaping African security and economic outcomes, amid increasing global competition for influence on the continent.
For Kenya, the visit is both symbolic and strategic: a chance to consolidate its role as a continental leader while securing investment, partnerships, and political capital that will fuel its long-term development agenda.
As the leaders gather in Washington, the stakes extend far beyond the White House lawn. The decisions made this week could redefine the political and economic trajectory of the Great Lakes region—and usher in a new chapter in U.S.–Kenya relations.
Analysts say the coming years will determine whether these bold reforms translate into sustained, inclusive growth—but the momentum—and global attention—are unmistakably shifting in Kenya’s favor.
