President William Ruto held talks with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, with the two officials covering an expansive agenda spanning critical minerals, civil nuclear cooperation, artificial intelligence, trade and regional security.
Central to the discussions was the potential for Kenya to move beyond exporting raw materials and instead develop local processing capacity for critical minerals, particularly niobium and other rare earth deposits found at Mrima Hill in Kwale County. Officials familiar with the talks say the two sides explored how American firms could support value-addition efforts within Kenya, positioning the country as a more significant player in a global minerals supply chain that has become increasingly contested amid competition between major powers.
The talks also built on a 2022 memorandum of understanding on strategic civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries, with both sides said to be keen on advancing that partnership as Kenya continues to explore nuclear power as part of its long-term energy mix. Discussions additionally touched on cooperation in artificial intelligence, with both governments expressing interest in collaborating on AI governance frameworks and applications in health, education and financial services.
On trade, the two officials are understood to have discussed the future of the African Growth and Opportunity Act, the preferential trade arrangement that has underpinned Kenyan exports to the American market, as its extension remains a subject of ongoing negotiation in Washington. Regional security featured prominently as well, with the talks touching on Kenya’s continued role in stabilisation efforts in Somalia, alongside broader concerns over the situations in Haiti and Sudan, where Nairobi has taken an increasingly vocal diplomatic role.
The meeting forms part of a packed schedule for President Ruto during his visit to New York, where he has also been engaging other world leaders and international financial institutions on Kenya’s economic priorities, including efforts to mobilise domestic and regional capital for infrastructure financing. Kenyan officials say the engagement with Washington reflects a broader push to deepen bilateral ties beyond traditional aid relationships, toward partnerships anchored in trade, technology and investment.
Neither government had released a formal joint statement on the talks by the time of publication, though both sides are expected to follow up with technical teams in the coming weeks to advance specific initiatives discussed in New York, particularly around the critical minerals and nuclear energy tracks.