US Congress Speaker Mike Johnson faced criticism for rejecting a request for President William Ruto to address a joint session during his visit.
While some sources suggest this decision stemmed from objections by influential lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Raj Shah, Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, cited scheduling constraints as the reason they could not accommodate the request for remarks before a joint session.
“Speaker Johnson welcomes President Ruto to the Capitol. We have offered the Kenyan embassy over 90 minutes of engagement including a one-on-one visit and a bipartisan leadership meeting with Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and Committee Chairmen and Ranking members, and a bicameral meeting. Unfortunately, due to scheduling restraints, we could not accommodate a request for remarks before a Joint Session,” Shah said.
Shah emphasized that a joint meeting demands substantial energy on Capitol Hill, necessitating the closure of chambers for hours and posing security challenges.
Should President Ruto have addressed a joint meeting, he would have marked a significant milestone as the first Kenyan leader to do so.
Furthermore, he would have been the first African leader since Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s 2006 address in the House chamber.
In a statement, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) criticized Johnson’s decision, asserting that it not only directly rebuffed the top two lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee but also served as clear evidence of Johnson’s failure to acknowledge the significance of the US-Kenya diplomatic relationship.
“Africa and its people helped shape our great nation, allowing it to become the superpower that it is today. Strengthening ties across the continent, including with a key strategic partner, Kenya, is of great importance to our shared economic aspirations and democratic values. The continent deserves the same level of respect given to our partners in other parts of the world,” Neal said.
Neal, the US Representative for Massachusetts, pointed out that Congress and Republican leadership have extended invitations for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and President Yoon Suk Yeol to address joint meetings of Congress during their official visits to the United States.
He said, “I see no reason why President William Ruto’s upcoming state visit should be any different.”
Ruto’s presence in Washington on May 23 will commemorate the 60th anniversary of U.S.-Kenyan diplomatic relations.