The Trump administration’s choice of Wooster who has served in hot spots like Haiti and Middle East appear to be informed by the volatile political situation obtaining in the country and the new ugly trend where politicians are hiring goons to cause violence.
The US government’s choice of an experienced diplomat and a former soldier Henry Wooster as the next ambassador to Kenya and as the country prepares for a much-hyped general elections in less than a year has raised eyebrows.
Until his nomination and subsequent approval, he was the Charge’ d’Affaires a the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, in the gang raved Haiti. Kenya was also in Haiti where a contingent of Kenya police officers were deployed to fight the gangs and restore a state or normalcy.
Before then, he was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. He served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan from September 2020 to July 2023. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Wooster served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Maghreb and Egypt before assuming his ambassadorship.
Other assignments include Deputy Chief of Mission in Paris, Chargé d’Affaires at U.S. Embassy Amman, Political Counselor at U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Director for Central Asia at the National Security Council, Foreign Policy Advisor to the Commanding General, U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran, Director of the Office of Iranian Affairs, Deputy Director of the Office of Provincial Affairs, Embassy Baghdad, Special Assistant to Deputy Secretary Jack Lew, Deputy Director, Office of Iranian Affairs, Iran Desk Officer, Political Officer, Embassy Moscow, Executive Officer, U.S. Mission to NATO, Desk Officer, the Office of Russian Affairs, Consul, Embassy Port au Prince, and Political Officer, Embassy Tbilisi.
Before joining the Foreign Service, Wooster was an Army officer. He holds an M.A. from Yale University and a B.A. from Amherst College. Amherst College is where retired President Uhuru Kenyatta studied for his degree in political science and economics.
Kenya is preparing for a general election where the presidential elections appear to create sharp divisions with some politicians promising to rig or cause chaos while their opponents are warning them of dire consequences.
The general outlook is pointing towards a hotly contested election and with the pockets of deadly political violences already witnessed where politicians are hiring armed goons, there is apprehension that violence may mar the exercise.
The Trump administration choice of such an experienced diplomat who has served in hot spots appears to be informed by the current situation obtaining in Kenya.
