United States President Donald Trump has nominated veteran diplomat Henry Wooster to serve as the next US Ambassador to Kenya, a move that places an experienced foreign service officer at the centre of one of Washington’s key diplomatic missions in Africa.
The nomination, contained in a communication dated June 1, 2026, was released by the White House and formally sent to the US Senate for consideration and confirmation.
If approved, Wooster will serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Kenya, taking over leadership of the embassy in Nairobi.
The White House described Wooster, a Virginia native, as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Minister-Counselor. His appointment is part of a broader slate of diplomatic nominations by the Trump administration now awaiting Senate approval.
Wooster’s nomination ends a prolonged vacancy in the post of US ambassador to Kenya, which has remained unfilled since President Trump took office following the November 2024 election. During this period, the US Embassy in Nairobi has been run by a Chargé d’Affaires.
Until his election, Meg Whitman served as US ambassador to Kenya under President Joe Biden.
If confirmed, Wooster will become Washington’s top diplomat in Kenya, bringing decades of experience across multiple high-level foreign postings.
Most recently, he served as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and previously held the role of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department.
From September 2020 to July 2023, he served as US Ambassador to Jordan, a key American ally in the Middle East. Before that, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Maghreb and Egypt.
His extensive career also includes roles as Deputy Chief of Mission in Paris, Chargé d’Affaires in Amman, Political Counselor in Islamabad, and Director for Central Asia at the National Security Council.
He has additionally served in senior security and policy positions, including Foreign Policy Advisor to the US Joint Special Operations Command, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran, Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs, and Deputy Director of the Office of Provincial Affairs in Baghdad.
Wooster’s earlier postings include assignments in Moscow, Tbilisi, Port-au-Prince and at the US Mission to NATO. Before joining the Foreign Service, he served as an officer in the United States Army.
He holds a Master of Arts degree from Yale University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College.
His nomination comes as Kenya and the United States continue to deepen cooperation in security, trade, technology, climate action and regional stability efforts, with Kenya remaining one of Washington’s closest partners in Africa.
