President Obama to travel to Kenya in July

President Barack Obama will travel to Kenya this July for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the White House announced Monday.

“The Government of Kenya has agreed to co-host the 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) this July. Organized annually since 2009, the GES has emerged as a global platform connecting emerging entrepreneurs with leaders from business, international organizations, and governments looking to support them. This will be the first time the GES will take place in sub-Saharan Africa,” press secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement
“President Obama will travel to Kenya in July, where he will hold bilateral meetings and participate in the GES. His trip will build on the success of the August 2014 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit and continue our efforts to work with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, to accelerate economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions, and improve security. This will be President Obama’s fourth trip to sub-Saharan Africa during his presidency,” he said.

It will be the president’s first visit to the country since taking office. Obama has made two separate trips to the continent as president, traveling to Ghana in 2009 and Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania in 2013.

The decision not to visit Kenya in 2013 came as Uhuru Kenyatta, the country’s newly elected leader, was expected to stand trial at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity related to post-election violence in 2007 and 2008.

“We also as a country have a commitment to accountability and justice as a baseline principle. And given the fact that Kenya is in the aftermath of their election and the new government has come into place and is going to be reviewing these issues with the ICC and the international community, it just wasn’t the best time for the president to travel to Kenya at this point,” said Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, at the time.

Courtesy @POLITICO