The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) of the United States criticized the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, James Johnson, for not permitting President William Ruto to address a joint session of Congress.
In a statement on X, the caucus expressed pride in hosting President Ruto and awarded him an honorary membership in the CBC.
“While Speaker Johnson might not have given the President of Kenya the opportunity to address a Joint Session of Congress, the CBC was proud to welcome President Ruto to the United States Capitol today.
We were honored to present President Ruto honorary membership in the CBC. This comes after the Speaker Mike Johnson refused to host Kenyan President William Ruto for a joint meeting of Congress which is usually extended to other international leaders,” reads the post.
Speaking during the meeting at the Capitol, Ruto lauded the Congressional Black Caucus for their role in advancing social justice, human rights and economic development across the globe.
“Kenya recognises the special role that the Congressional Black Caucus continues to play in advancing social justice, human rights and economic development across the globe.”
“We implore the Congress to take lead in reconfiguring the global financial architecture where power is not in the hands of the few. A bold, robust and targeted approach will free Africa of the debt burden and transform the world,” said Ruto.
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is an organization comprising African American members of the United States Congress. It aims to address legislative issues affecting Black and minority communities and ensure their representation in the legislative process.
In a statement released on Saturday, Speaker Johnson’s deputy chief of staff Raj Shah cited scheduling constraints as the reason for not inviting Ruto to address a joint session of Congress.
“Speaker Johnson welcomes President Ruto to the Capitol. We have offered the Kenyan embassy over 90 minutes of engagement including a one-on-one visit with Speaker Johnson, bipartisan leadership meeting with Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, and Committee Chairmen and Ranking members, and a bicameral meeting.
“Unfortunately, due to scheduling restraints, we could not accommodate a request for remarks before a Joint Session,” reads the statement.
Ruto would have made history as the first Kenyan leader to address a joint meeting of Congress and the first African leader to do so since Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2006.
A formal request for Ruto’s invitation was made to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives by House Foreign Affairs Committee Member Gregory Meeks and Committee Chairman Michael McCaul.
