The New US Ambassador to Kenya Senator Kyle McCarter was confirmed on Wednesday by voice vote.Senator McCarter will be taking over from Ambassador Robert Godec who has been serving for the last six years.
As he prepares to take office Senator McCarter has strongly spoken on his full support and engage the LGBT community something that Kenya strongly condemn, as well as him.
At his confirmation hearing last year, the Democrats pointed questions about McCarter’s socially conservative religious views, expressed in his past votes against LGBT rights. He has remained one of the vocal senators who has opposed same sex marriages despite the US having legalised it.
During his grilling, he said he supported decriminalisation of homosexual acts.
Though the current Kenyan Constitution does not recognise same sex marriages, President Uhuru Kenyatta has also reiterated that Kenya would not bow down to pressure to legislate such unions as a condition to receive donor funding.
Despite his personal views he is ready to help Kenya take on its challenges and promised to meet with the members of the LGBT community.
In addition he said, “I will use my experiences in business, public service, and philanthropy to build on the already strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Kenya.”