by Mary Spiller
May 26, 2024
Kenyan President William Ruto visited the US to strengthen the partnership.
Kenyan President William Ruto confirmed that the Kenyan government has signed agreements with several HBCUs, including Spelman College, Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University and Howard University. The partnerships will help advance economic development and STEM education curricula in both Kenya and the United States.
The good news came on the heels of Ruto's visit to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden's administration. Ruto first stopped off in Atlanta on May 20 before meeting with President Biden.
During his time at Spelman, Root said, “We are cultivating a new generation of disruptive thinkers, ambitious visionaries and innovative problem solvers who foresee a bright, knowledge-driven future where progress transcends borders, transforms lives and creates prosperity.”
Spelman has not yet released details about the partnership program, but reported that the agreement with Kenya will provide students with new and exciting opportunities to travel internationally.
“We still need to work out the details of the partnership, but we are hopeful that our students will have the opportunity to study in Kenyan schools and Kenyan students will have the opportunity here,” Spelman College President Helen Gayle told the news outlet. “Our faculty will have the opportunity to work together and partner in the very important areas of STEM and technology.”
Ruto explained that the agreements with HBCUs are modeled after a program that ran from 1959 to 1963 and allowed hundreds of Kenyan students to attend colleges and universities in the United States. Former President Barack Obama's late father, Barack Obama Sr., participated in the program when it was in operation.
“We concluded our #StateVisitUSKE visit to Atlanta by celebrating growing partnerships in trade, education and the creative economy. Today we travel to Washington for more activities. #USKEat60,” U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman posted on social media.
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