[President Uhuru Kenyatta talks to US president Donald Trump after Trump was elected to office. [Photo/kenyaten.com]
A senior US official in President Donald Trump's administration has sought to have a concensus between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Nasa presidential candindates on the sticky issues ahead of October 17 repeat elections.Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US government’s Bureau of African Affairs Donald Yamamoto said the US had already reached out to top political leaders in the country and informed them that the world is watching.“Kenya’s on the threshold of a great election on October 17, but it’s the issues that we need to focus on and work with. The eyes of the world and the US government are on you, on Kenya,” Yamamoto said.He added: “We’re not going to take our eyes away from it (Kenya). Kenya matters. If our largest embassy is in Nairobi, Kenya, that means we have a stake in that country, and Africa has a stake, and this government’s looking at where the trend lines will go after October 17.”He made the comments while giving a speech on advancing common interests of US-African partnerships at the US Institute of Peace based in Washington, late last week.The Bureau of African Affairs falls under the US Department of State and has the responsibility of advising the Secretary of State on matters touching on Sub-Saharan Africa.