Kenyan President William Ruto’s Washington visit secures major health funding and key role in Congo peace accord, marking dramatic turnaround in once-frozen ties with Donald Trump’s America.
Kenyan President William Ruto’s high-profile visit to Washington this week has dramatically revived ties with Donald Trump’s United States, just months after Nairobi feared being frozen out of America’s Africa policy.
The turning point came on 5 December 2025 when Ruto stood beside Trump as the US president oversaw the signing of a peace accord between Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame. On the same day, Ruto sealed a landmark health cooperation deal worth USD 1.6 billion over five years.
From cold shoulder to warm embrace
Trump’s return to the White House in January 2025 initially looked bleak for Kenya. The “America First” policy froze foreign aid, scrapped many Biden-era initiatives and left Africa largely ignored. US ambassador Meg Whitman resigned days after Trump’s election victory, and in May 2025 Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jim Risch openly questioned Kenya’s status as a major non-NATO ally because of President Ruto’s close ties with China.
Ruto had declared in April that Kenya and China were “co-architects of a new world order”, prompting Risch to warn that such “allegiance” to Beijing was unacceptable for a key US partner.
Minerals, peace deals and health aid
Everything changed when Trump took personal interest in ending the eastern Congo conflict, a war fuelled by control of critical minerals such as cobalt and coltan. The Washington Accords, brokered with Qatari help, opened the door for American companies to invest in Congo and Rwanda while giving Kenya a seat at the table as East African Community chair.
Trump was blunt: “We’re going to take out some of the rare earths and some of their assets and pay,” he said, making clear the commercial motive behind the diplomacy.
Ruto used the occasion to push his Pan-African vision. “A peaceful eastern DRC can unlock one of Africa’s greatest economic opportunities,” he told the gathering.
Health deal seals the reset
Alongside the peace ceremony, Ruto signed the Kenya-US Health Cooperation Framework – the first agreement of its kind under Trump’s administration. Kenya will share infectious disease data and biological samples with Washington in return for USD 1.6 billion to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, pay health workers and build a digital medical records system.
US Chargé d’Affaires Susan Burns said the deal makes America safer by strengthening Kenya’s ability to detect and contain outbreaks.
Regional rivals left on the sidelines
Ruto’s invitation to Washington came as several neighbours faced difficulties with the Trump administration. Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni is preoccupied with elections and opposition crackdowns, Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu is under US pressure over post-election violence, and Burundi remains at odds with Rwanda. That left Kenya as the region’s most credible partner for Trump’s Congo initiative.
Questions remain
Fighting resumed in eastern Congo hours after the signing, highlighting the accord’s fragility. At home, opposition politicians have criticised the health agreement, calling it a “scratch-my-back” deal that gives the US long-term access to sensitive Kenyan medical data.
Yet the images of Ruto and Trump together mark a clear thaw. From near isolation in January to centre stage in December, Kenya has reclaimed its position as Washington’s preferred partner in East Africa – driven by mutual interest in countering China, securing minerals and stabilising a volatile region.
Agencies contributed to this report
