Meg Whitman: Why I resigned from U.S Ambassador job

The billionaire says that her surprise exit was prompted by the soon-to-be effected change in the White House leadership after Donald Trump's victory in the recently held US elections.

However early, the US envoy said that she wanted ample time to settle her family back in the United States.

"Well, when new presidents and new administrations come in, it's customary that ambassadors submit their letters of resignation. I decided to do it now because we have three young grandchildren," she told Sunday Nation.

"My husband has a job in the U.S., and we need to get back and get settled. The embassy is in very good hands with Charge d'Affairs Marc Dillard."

Whitman further dismissed allegations that the exit was due to criticism but a noble move to peacefully welcome the new administration.

"I've been in politics for a long time so I know how this works. This is much more about peace transfer of power, a new administration and whole set of new ambassadors," she added.

The 68-year-old holds that she has managed to inject pivotal reforms in the bilateral ties between Kenya and the US under her 2-year tenure including visa access and facilitating tourism.

"My number one priority was visas. Every Kenyan was saying it was taking two years to get an interview for a visa that is down to two months which is fantastic for a non-immigrant visa," Whitman noted.

She also boasted of the goodies Kenya received from a state visit by President William Ruto to the US in May 2024, noting that Coca-Cola, Microsoft and others erected camps or expanded under her tenure.

Whitman however warned that Kenya will fail to achieve its development potential owing to the toxic looting of public funds.

"I've been speaking alot about corruption in the last four or five months...Kenya has an incredible opportunity to truly be an economic powerhouse on the continent, to really be the Singapore of Africa," she said.

She now plans to support her husband in settling back in the US as she recalibrates her next move.

"I'll get back to the United States and get my husband settled into a new job. We have traded off our jobs over 44 years of marriage, and now it's his turn. I'll get him settled in, and then we'll figure out what I'm going to do next."

Whitman arrived in Kenya in August 2022, just days before Kenya’s general elections, embarking on an unpredictable tenure. 

With a resilient approach, she quickly adapted, rising to prominence on the political stage earlier than expected.

Her foray into Kenyan politics however began with controversy as she opined, at a Devolution Conference in Uasin Gishu County on August 16, that the 2022 general election was the most credible in Kenya’s history.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga responded harshly, calling Whitman “rogue” and advising her to stay out of Kenya’s internal affairs. 

As political tensions eased, Whitman developed a positive rapport with President Ruto and focused on strengthening U.S.-Kenya bilateral relations.