- The US team was led by Delaware Senator Chris Andrew Coons and US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman.
- As the US Congress team met Kenyan leaders, the Russia embassy congratulated the President-elect on his election as Kenya's fifth president.
Image: HANDOUT
A US Congress delegation on Thursday separately held talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta, President-elect William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga.
The meetings discussed the concluded election and areas of cooperation between Kenya and the US.
The US team was led by Delaware Senator Chris Andrew Coons and US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman.
The group met Ruto at his Karen office, Raila at a Nairobi hotel and Uhuru at State House, Nairobi.
Uhuru said he is committed to ensuring that Kenya upholds its position as a shining example of democracy on the continent.
“My greatest desire is that peace will prevail and we may set an example in the continent and the world,” President Kenyatta said in a statement.
Cabinet Secretaries Raychelle Omamo (Foreign Affairs) and Betty Maina (Trade) attended the meeting.
At the meeting with Ruto, party leaders Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Alfred Mutua (Maendeleo Chap Chap) and Moses Wetang’ula (Ford Kenya), as well as Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi and UDA secretary general Veronica Maina were present.
Azimio running mate Martha Karua and Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o were with Raila during his meeting with the Congress team.
"We held candid discussions on developments around our general election and bilateral relations with the congressional delegation of the US Senate and House of Representatives," Raila said on Twitter.
"We reiterated our commitment to pursuing legal means to resolve issues around the election results."
The Kenyan leaders and their US counterparts committed to deepen relations and further partnership for the mutual benefit of the citizens of the two countries.
The US delegation arrived in Kenya on Wednesday night on their third stop on a five-country Africa visit.
"Fantastic to welcome the Senator Chris Coons-led delegation to the third stop on a five country Africa visit! The delegation will meet with conservationists, health providers, and organisations working to empower girls," Whitman said in a tweet.
The delegation visited as the country prepares for a presidential election petition after Raila disputed the results of the August 9 polls.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Wafula Chebukati declared Ruto as President-elect after garnering 7,176,141 votes (50.49 per cent) against the Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate who scored 6,942,930 (48.85 per cent) votes.
Raila rejected the results, terming them as null and void.
Four commissioners of the electoral agency, including the vice chairperson Juliana Cherera, have also disputed the results, saying the last phase of the tallying process was opaque.
As the US Congress team met Kenyan leaders, Russia congratulated the President-elect on his election as Kenya's fifth president.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Russian embassy in Kenya said it looks forward to "developing comprehensive and mutually beneficial cooperation with Kenya."
"We are confident that the friendly relations between our two countries and peoples will be reinvigorated and further strengthened.”
The US embassy in Kenya on Monday congratulated Kenyans on the peaceful completion of the electoral process and commended the IEBC for organising a “peaceful and orderly voting and counting process.”
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who had just returned from a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, commended the electoral process in Kenya, terming it “a model for the continent.”
On Wednesday, in a joint statement, ambassadors and high commissioners from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK called on all political parties and political leaders to follow the law in pursuing justice.
(edited by Amol Awuor)