President William Ruto met Kenyans living in the United States and witnessed the signing of a joint Declaration of Intent among the Kenya Government, the United Nations and Equity Group Holdings in New York on Sunday September 20, 2026 in the evening.
At the meeting, the Kenya Diaspora Impact Platform, a digital platform offering an array of opportunities for Kenyan and other investors in the diaspora, was unveiled.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Department for Diaspora Affairs, is structured to deepen ties, formalise declarations of intent, and unlock strategic investment and national development opportunities through the Kenyan diaspora.
During the signing of the Letter of Intent at the 30 Hudson Yard in New York, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi signed on behalf of the Government, the private sector by Equity Group Holdings CEO James Mwangi and the diaspora by the UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya Garry Conille.
Addressing the gathering, President Ruto described the Kenyan diaspora as an important “part of Kenya’s growth story” not only because of the remittances they send home, but also the investment, expertise, innovation and global networks they have built.
The President, who is in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, said the diaspora makes tremendous contributions to Kenya through remittances and support to their families.
“This platform we have unveiled today has been developed to elevate the diaspora role in community projects, financing MSMEs, creating enterprises and transferring skills and knowledge while connecting Kenyans abroad to opportunities that meaningfully contribute to national transformation,” he said.
He pointed out that the Government is building a stronger bridge between Kenyans abroad and opportunities at home founded on trust, transparency and measurable results.
“We want to make it easier for those in Diaspora to convert assets and enterprises into long-term wealth,” he explained.
The President noted that the initiative will enable Kenyans in the diaspora to know which investments are available for them at home.
He, however, cautioned that trust and transparency are crucial in the successful implementation of the initiative.
“Trust must be at the centre for this initiative to succeed. Information must be reliable and transparency should be the operating principle if the platform has to achieve its objectives,” President Ruto said.
He pointed out that there were many investment opportunities in housing, health and agriculture, among others, in Kenya for citizens living and working in the diaspora.
“Kenyans in the diaspora can be good human resource capital and can deploy their knowledge and expertise to invest in opportunities at home,” he stated.
The President explained that the new platform must create a trusted bridge for those living abroad and achieve a measurable impact of opportunities at home.
At the same time, President Ruto explained the Government-to-Government (G-to-G) fuel import model as a vital stabiliser of supply and foreign exchange, dismissing claims that handpicked local marketers act as costly middlemen.
“If there is anything we got right immediately, we took over the leadership of the country in 2022, it was to eliminate brokers in the importation of fuel. At the time, most fuel stations had run empty,” the President said.
Explaining that Kenya has the right fuel importation model, he said supply of products has been consistent and reliable and there is no run for foreign exchange as used to be the case.
He also noted that a number of countries have come to Kenya to study the model and benchmark.
