NAIROBI, Kenya – In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election, a wave of Kenyan social media users has called for the recall of U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman.
They accuse Whitman of overstepping diplomatic boundaries by allegedly showing a bias toward Kenya’s Kenya Kwanza administration.
This, they say, comes as the ambassador has remained silent on pressing issues such as abductions, disappearances, and alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.
Kenyan citizens, dissatisfied with what they perceive as Whitman’s support for President William Ruto’s administration, have urged Trump’s new administration to end her diplomatic assignment in Nairobi.
Many claim Whitman’s relationship with President Ruto has compromised her impartiality, with some citing her perceived silence on human rights abuses as evidence of this partiality.
Lawyer and former MP Gitobu Imanyara joined the online conversation, expressing his discontent with the ambassador’s recent actions.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Imanyara wrote, “If President Donald Trump’s return to the White House brings an end to Meg Whitman’s ambassadorial tenure in Nairobi, then we as Kenyans have something to celebrate. As recently as last week, Ambassador Whitman refused to sign a statement by Western envoys condemning the abductions, disappearances, and unlawful killings of young Kenyans exercising elementary fundamental rights to peaceful protests.”
Kenyans’ criticism of Whitman comes amid growing dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of human rights concerns, corruption, and an economy many feel is in decline.
They argue that an ambassador who appears to align with the ruling administration has lost the trust of the people, particularly at a time when issues like the handling of anti-government protesters have come under scrutiny.
They accuse Whitman of overstepping diplomatic boundaries by allegedly showing a bias toward Kenya’s Kenya Kwanza administration.
This, they say, comes as the ambassador has remained silent on pressing issues such as abductions, disappearances, and alleged extrajudicial killings in the country.
Kenyan citizens, dissatisfied with what they perceive as Whitman’s support for President William Ruto’s administration, have urged Trump’s new administration to end her diplomatic assignment in Nairobi.
Many claim Whitman’s relationship with President Ruto has compromised her impartiality, with some citing her perceived silence on human rights abuses as evidence of this partiality.
Lawyer and former MP Gitobu Imanyara joined the online conversation, expressing his discontent with the ambassador’s recent actions.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Imanyara wrote, “If President Donald Trump’s return to the White House brings an end to Meg Whitman’s ambassadorial tenure in Nairobi, then we as Kenyans have something to celebrate. As recently as last week, Ambassador Whitman refused to sign a statement by Western envoys condemning the abductions, disappearances, and unlawful killings of young Kenyans exercising elementary fundamental rights to peaceful protests.”
Kenyans’ criticism of Whitman comes amid growing dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of human rights concerns, corruption, and an economy many feel is in decline.
They argue that an ambassador who appears to align with the ruling administration has lost the trust of the people, particularly at a time when issues like the handling of anti-government protesters have come under scrutiny.
