President Joe Biden hosted Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta as he faces scrutiny for his and his family’s offshore holdings revealed in the Pandora Papers, and as war roils on in neighboring Ethiopia.
The presidents met in the Oval Office on Thursday just weeks the bombshell Pandora Papers found that Kenyatta, among over 330 others, benefitted from secret accounts. At a time Kenyatta was publicly campaigning against corruption, his family put about $30million into offshore accounts, the documents revealed.
When asked of the subject in a background press call, a senior Biden administration official said: ‘We will be discussing strengthening financial transparency, both in Kenya as well as, you know, asking their partnership on tackling this global challenge.
‘The President has taken note of President Kenyatta’s statement that the Pandora Papers release will enhance financial transparency and openness around the globe.’
Kenyatta has denied wrongdoing.
The presidents’ talks also come weeks after Biden signed an executive order threatening to levy sanctions against Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and others involved if steps aren’t taken soon to wind down the 11-month-old war in the Tigray region of the country.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on Thursday afternoon acknowledged that Ethiopia was on the agenda for the meeting but did not provide any additional insight.
The conflict in Ethiopia continues to intensify as Ethiopian forces most recently launched a major military offensive against Tigrayan rebels.
United Nations officials say the attack will only worsen Ethiopia’s current humanitarian crisis. The country is currently struggling with the world’s worst famine in a decade as the government does little to help, blocking aid shipments from those in need.
Biden says he will move forward with sanctions quickly if there are not changes made to benefit the hundreds of thousands living in famine.
Kenya currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, which is one reason why Kenyatta is in the US.
Kenyatta has also been somewhat vocal among leaders of African nations regarding the situation in Ethiopia.
While at the UN on Tuesday, Kenyatta told reporters that the two sides need to come to ‘a political resolution because we do not believe that there is any military solution’.
Ethiopia’s government has rejected international ‘meddling’, shifting the focus to trying to find an African solution to the crisis that has killed thousands, some now by starvation.
According to the US government and the UN, Ethiopian troops are also preventing trucks carrying food and other aid to enter the country.
Psaki did not address the matter during her briefing.
During the meeting, Biden also announced one-time donation of 17million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to the African Union, Psaki said.
Metro UK
Subject: “Joe Biden meets Kenya president amid Pandora Papers scandal and Ethiopia crisis”by Isabel Kean
14 Oct 14, 2021
Humble Commentary, 14 Oct 2021
And so there is absolutely nothing new in our World
The powerfuls are still there, looking after their interest. A perfect example of how to keep countries fractured into pieces is, for example, the skirmish between Ethiopia and, one of its provinces, Tigray. It is NOT a secrete — the Great USA is in favour of Tigray. And so, they (Ethiopia & Tigray) are now enemies and killing each other using obedient, docile, frightened commoners — a delight to those powerful nations who do not want to have strong and successful Black African States. They will do anything to prevent such possibility. Read the European and American History on Black Africa.
For another example, take the current meeting of the powerful with a typical underdeveloped personality just to check that THINGS are still understood wth sophisticated ‘languages’ for the benefit of the lucky Leaders. The perpetual unlucky people are also kept quiet by ‘crumbs of breads’ (so to say) and other means of keeping them QUIET and be docile obidient citizens for ever and ever. They — all of them on various strata — know the respective consequences for not ‘obeying’ the inherent wishes of their masters. Oh, by the way, Quote: “ Kenya currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council, which is one reason why Kenyatta is in the US” Unquote. Everything is planned meticulously and the world revolves quietly and smoothly (*)
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(*) Footnote (for laughter, I hope)
Once upon a time, a friend told me a story. There was a man who was tired of the WORLD !!! One day, while he was with his friends, all of a sudden, he screamed: ‘STOP THE WORLD, I AM GETTING OFF THE WORLD’
I hope Brother H.E. President Uhuru has asked President Biden not to ban Ethiopia from AGOA. That would be a misguided punishment because the most will suffer from such measure are those innocent factory workers and also farmers. Those citizens have no other means to make a living and have no safety net to fall back on. Just don’t do it. The sanction can be meted out on specific officials both in Addis/Finfine and Mekele and must as severe it can be. Those guys have stopped listening. They just cannot go on thumbing their noses while thousands of young people are driven into an awaiting inferno weeks in weeks out. This is just too much to bear and has to stop immediately. Those of you who are flapping your jaws encouraging both warring sides from your comfy homes here among us, shame on you!!!
Really amazing that such big country leader Biden doing very tiny things doing on the ground. The world communities have to have clear picture of what these US and affiliates doing. It is surprising that they are supported one terrorist & rebellion group, TPLF. Why didn’t bother when they made unfair war aggression on Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other countries in which at the end of the day the countries lost many things and lost their sovereignty?
The UN & EU member countries have to make q quick push on restructuring of their organizations and their charters as they repeatedly violated the governing laws by these stupid countries. They have to call for immediate meeting for their wrong actions, impositions and sanctions they are doing, it is unfair to see these on this 21 century
What about also AU doing right now????? Why they make silly and not functional themselves under the umbrella of this player countries??? They have to investigate what they are doing though it has been re-called for Pa–African many decays before. So now what about this organization????????????
There is a drama in this world which is acted by some bullshit players.
Long live to Ethiopia!!!
The diaspora Ethiopian Americans are so polarized, the TPLF well resourced foreign branch of digital warriors seems to dominate the air wars/propaganda and influence the US & EU power brokers SO FAR. However, the fact on the ground ( inside Ethiopia) tells a different story. The America media system which dominates the information warfare for decades no more as powerful as during the cold war.The advent of social media has become a disruptive force force for better and worse in the new era of information warfare. My very comment and the existence of this web page is testimonial to the prevailing of new digital world order. .In war, the first causality is TRUTH. Good journalism -based on facts disappear with Media sites, organs turn overnight into propaganda machine. Information warfare is employed as part and parcel of war an to win or defeat the minds and hear of the intended target. History is full of instances and lessons that war is politics by other/violent means. Ethiopia is a good example to survive by combining unifying both in the past.-patriotism. The most determined and highly and digitally organized around just cause shall prevail.
Ethiopian Americans has numbers in contrast to extremist elements but in dire need of pan Ethiopian broad based center. Divided we fall,UNITED we STAND.
Ethiopia Shall Prevail!!!