Jill Biden starts Kenyan tour
First Lady Rachel Ruto receives her US counterpart Jill Biden at JKIA, Nairobi, on February 24, 2023.
US First Lady Jill Biden jetted into the country last evening, beginning a three-day official visit that will see her focus on women and youth empowerment and food insecurity in the Horn of Africa following the devastating drought.
US First Lady Jill Biden when she landed at JKIA for a two-day visit. She is accompanied by her grand daughter, Naomi.
Aboard Executive One Foxtrot, Dr Biden's plane touched down at 4.28 pm at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to an expectedly tight security and a rousing welcome by traditional dancers. A few minutes later, the cheerful professor of English gracefully scaled down the flight of stairs in a blue chiffon dress—the “pray for the wind kind” that had to be held in place by her swift aide because of the windy weather at Terminal Two airside.
And at hand to receive her was First Lady Rachel Ruto, her host, and East African Community Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, among other dignitaries.
Dr Biden took a few minutes to savour the traditional music by Zamaleo Afriq performers before waving to them and heading for a waiting black top-security vehicle, manned on all sides by giant secret service agents, and off they drove to State House via the expressway.
Earlier on the plane, an entourage of about 20 delegates had exited from a rear door behind the wing when everyone’s focus was on the main exit from which Dr Biden descended with a few of her security detail and aids.
“Today, I’m heading to Africa for my sixth visit to the continent, and my first as First Lady. I’ve always believed that supporting women and youth across the world is critical to our common future, with education, health, and empowerment at the heart of it all,” Dr Biden had posted on Twitter just prior to her departure from the US to Namibia where she started off the trip on Wednesday.
The White House said Dr Biden’s visit is in line with the resolutions of the recent US-Africa Summit in Washington, in which President Joe Biden promised more engagements with Africa.
“The trip to Africa will strengthen the United States’ partnerships on the African continent, and advance our shared priorities in the region.
“Dr Biden’s engagements will focus on the empowerment of women and youth, efforts to address food insecurity, and promoting our shared democratic values,” the dispatch said.
At the Summit, Dr Biden met with spouses of African heads of state and government where they discussed women and social security programmes. It was at the event that Mrs Ruto invited Dr Biden to visit Kenya.
US First Lady Jill Biden receives a banquet from a young girl at the JKIA.
In a statement on Thursday, Ms Ruto said their talks were anchored on women's economic empowerment projects. “She (Ms Biden) will get a chance to experience table banking, a transformational economic empowerment model championed by Her Excellency Mama Rachel Ruto.”
The table banking model operates under Mama Doing Good Organisation and is active in 39 out of the 47 counties in Kenya, with plans to cover all counties.
The Ms Ruto-led Joyful Women Programme, which operates under Mama Doing Good Organisation, aims to empower women economically by providing them with access to credit and financial management skills.
First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden (right) received by her Kenyan counterpart Rachel Ruto (centre) and EAC Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano (left) at the JKIA. The Flotus is in the country for a two-day visit.
Dr Biden’s itinerary is action-packed and started off with two meetings yesterday, one at State House and the other hosted by the US Embassy.
Today, she will engage in an entrepreneurship and sustainability event with a local company connecting tractor owners and farmers to highlight how young entrepreneurs are transforming agricultural practices in Kenya through technology, and improving livelihoods and food security.
Afterwards, she will join Ms Ruto to meet with local women under the Joyful Women initiative.
Dr Biden will then attend a Shujaaz Konnect Festival, a local youth empowerment event in Nairobi, presented in collaboration with The MTV Staying Alive Foundation and spotlighting the US support through the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar).
She is expected to depart Nairobi tomorrow evening, but not before visiting the drought-affected areas to highlight the impacts of drought on communities.
