ACIR is honored to host Ambassador Robinson Njeru Githae of Kenya to Atlanta. Ambassador Githae will speak on the topic, "Contemporary Issues in Kenya and the African Union."
Kenya is geo-located in a most challenging area of Eastern Africa, with neighbors that have been engaged in prolonged civil wars, or as repositories for terrorists who plague that region. In spite of that challenge, Kenya has been a long-standing ally of the United States and has sought to maintain economic progress through continued commercial relations with our nation. It has fully cooperated with the United States in coordinated strategic defense policies to engage in anti-terrorist strikes against Al Shabab and al-Qaeda groups in neighboring states.
Within the last year, Kenya has agreed to a $900 Million trade agreement with the United States that will serve to bolster the American and Kenyan economies, and bring this critically important East African nation even closer to the American political-economic orbit.
The maritime area off the long Kenyan coast, with American military bases thus situated, becomes even more strategically important due to what may be a growing Cold War with a rising power in Asia, and its growing interest in East Africa. Kenya has become more important to the United States than ever before.
Ambassador Githae was appointed to be Ambassador to the United States by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on August 14, 2014, and presented his credentials to U.S. President Barack Obama on November 18, 2014. It is the first diplomatic posting for Ambassador Githae.
Previously, Ambassador Githae was the Minister of Finance from 2010 to 2013 and the Minister for Metropolitan Development from 2009 to 2012. From 2008 to 2010, he served as the Assistant Minister for Local Government and from 2006 to 2008 as the Assistant Minister for Transport. Prior to that, he won a seat in Parliament in 2003 and was appointed Assistant Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs. He was re-elected as a Member of Parliament in 2007.
Prior to entering politics in 2002, he worked with various banks and financial institutions in Kenya in different capacities and ultimately ended up as General Manager.
He earned a Bachelor of Law degree in 1980 at the University of Nairobi and went on to get his law bar qualifications at the Kenya School of Law in 1981. He is also an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
