Outgoing US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter.
By Francis Muli
US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter has resigned, following the end of US President Donald Trump’s tenure on January 20, 2021. McCarter will be leaving office the same day Trump leaves office to give way to Joe Biden, who will be sworn in on January 20.
“As I reflect on my time as Ambassador, I continue to believe that Kenya should no longer be just a beneficiary of foreign aid, but a benefactor to the rest of East Africa,” he wrote in a farewell letter on Friday. On January 2, 2019, McCarter replaced Bob Godec, who had served as the US Ambassador to Kenya for six years.
In his farewell letter, McCarter was critical on the state of the economy and the democratic process, encouraging Kenyans not to make electoral mistakes which they have made in the past. “People make up our institutions. People make up our governments. People are fallible and make mistakes. Democracy gives us the chance to recognise our mistakes, to learn from them, and to make changes to ensure our institutions and our leaders do not repeat those mistakes,” he added.
He previously served as a Republican member of the Illinois Senate from February 2009 to January 2019. McCarter and his wife Victoria live in Lebanon, Illinois. They have two living children: Zach and Austin.Their daughter Amber died in 2006 at the age of 21 from a heroin overdose.
Source: Kahawa Tungu