US Congress members push for Kenya president to address joint Congress when in DC

Some high-ranking members of the U.S. Congress want Kenyan President William Ruto to address a joint session of Congress when he visits the U.S. later this month. In their letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and Ranking Member Gregory W. Meek said an invitation to Ruto would "underscore the importance of the U.S.-Kenya relationship." Ruto would be the first Kenyan president and African head of state to address a joint session of Congress since former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf 18 years ago, the letter said. VOA's Congressional correspondent Katherine Gipson tells VOA's Esther Githui-Ewart that the gesture, if successful, would be significant.