The United States Senate has started vetting ambassador to Kenya nominee Meg Whitman nearly six months after she was picked for the role by President Biden.
While calling on his colleagues in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to approve her nomination, Republican Senator Mitt Romney termed Whitman as a perfect fit for the role and promised to offer his full support.
“Meg Whitman is expertly suited to take on the hard work of organizing our mission in Kenya and working closely and cooperatively with our Kenyan partners,” said Romney.
If members of the committee approve her nomination, it will proceed to the full Senate for a vote that will pave the way for her posting to Nairobi.
President Biden picked Whitman for the position on December 8th last year but her nomination has been pending approval by the US senate.
Whitman is expected to take over from Eric Kneedler, who became chargé d´affaires ad interim for Kenya in January following the exit of Kyle McCarter, who served as the US ambassador to Kenya from 2019 to 2021.
“Kenya is a strategic partner of the United States, and if confirmed, I look forward to working with the Kenyan government on a wide variety of issues to advance peace, prosperity, and health in the country and throughout the region,” Whitman said in a statement following her nomination in December.
Whitman, commonly known by her nickname “Meg”, served as the CEO of Hewlett-Packard and then Hewlett Packard Enterprise from 2011 to 2017. The 65-year-old currently serves on the board of Procter & Gamble and General Motors.
Whitman, a billionaire former Republican, was a key financier of Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. She is worth an estimated 4.5 billion USD, according to Forbes.
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