State House confirms former U.S. President Barack Obamas visit

Deputy State House Spokesperson Kanze Dena has confirmed that former U.S. President Barack Obama will be coming back to Kenya next month.

Speaking to journalists, Ms. Dena also revealed that a delegation of American officials is expected to visit the country prior to Obama’s visit.

“The U.S. delegation will be here to establish and strengthen existing business relations with Kenya,” she said on Wednesday.

She added that the team will comprise of business leaders from different American companies.

When asked if the delegation will accompany President Obama during his visit, Ms. Dena said:

A large business delegation from the US led by Gilbert Kaplan is also expected in the country for extensive engagements on how to deepen existing trade relations and investment as well as explore new opportunities. #Big4Agenda| @IBM @opicgov @AcrowBridge @Bechtel pic.twitter.com/ISn3MwiTvZ

— Uhuru Kenyatta (@UKenyatta) June 20, 2018

Also Read: Citizen TV’s Kanze Dena appointed Deputy State House Spokesperson

Obama’s one-day visit will be the first since he left the White House. He is expected to visit his ancestral home in K’Ogelo where preparations have begun in earnest.

The last time he was in Kenya was in 2015 and he could not visit the home due to a tight schedule. Obama was in K’Ogelo almost 11 years ago when he was Illinois Senator.

His July visit to Kenya will be followed by a trip to South Africa the next day.

He will give a keynote speech in honour of the late anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg.

Wednesday’s Press briefing was Ms. Dena’s first official address since she was appointed to the position on June 5.

She is expected to steer the core communications teams while serving under the leadership of State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu.

She previously worked as a Kiswahili news anchor at Citizen TV, the anchor station of Royal Media Services.