Secretary Blinken’s Call with Kenyan President William Ruto

The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto today. The Secretary underscored the importance of freedoms of assembly and expression as enshrined in Kenyan's constitution, emphasized the vital role played by youth and civil society organizations in healthy democracies, and urged respect for their contributions to Kenya's development. The Secretary commended President Ruto for his pledge of accountability for security forces allegedly involved in protest violence or responsible for disappearances and his commitment to direct police to refrain from using violence of any kind against protesters. The Secretary thanked President Ruto for Kenya's contributions to the multinational security support mission to Haiti. The Secretary reiterated that the United States stands with the Kenyan people as they build a more inclusive and prosperous Kenya.