President William Ruto on Wednesday met with the United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on the sidelined of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
During the discussions, the two leaders discussed the ongoing efforts to address food insecurity and regional peace and security.
“Good meeting with Kenyan President @WilliamsRuto to discuss our countries’ ongoing efforts to address food insecurity and regional peace and security,” Blinken said in a tweet on Wednesday night.
“I look forward to strengthening our strategic partnership, especially on trade and investment,” added the Secretary of State.
Earlier, President Ruto had also met with the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) takes place during the worst drought in the Horn of Africa, with many countries in the region, including Kenya, experiencing unprecedented effects in the last forty years.
According to government statistics and data from UN agencies, 3.5 million Kenyans are in desperate need of food.
Ruto’s agenda at the UN meeting includes discussions with world leaders about fertiliser production and green energy, both of which are aimed at increasing Kenya’s agricultural production.
Prior to his trip to the United States, Ruto implemented a fertiliser subsidy, claiming that it will enable farmers to produce food at a lower cost, lowering food prices in the country.
He claimed that food subsidies were unsustainable and had no effect on alienating people from the high cost of living.
