NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 25-‘The Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi Eric W. Kneedler was Wednesday named the Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, at the embassy.
Kneedler takes over from Kyle McCarter who resigned from his role following the exit of President Donald Trump as the President of the United States of America.
McCarter bid farewell to a number of senior government officials in hurried events.
He had replaced Bob Godec in January 2019.
In his farewell letter, McCarter was critical of the state of the economy and the democratic process, encouraging Kenyans not to make electoral mistakes they made in the past.
A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Kneedler previously served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi from April 2019 until January 2021.
The embassy said he began his assignment in Nairobi in 2017 as the Counselor for Political Affairs. He has also served as the Counselor for Political Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Manila and the Deputy Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.
“Previous assignments include tours in Jakarta, Port Louis, Hong Kong, the State Department’s Operations Center, and the Bureau of European Affairs. He speaks French, Indonesian and Thai,” the embassy said in a statement.
Kneedler called for continuation of the partnership between the US and Kenya governments on matters of security, health, education and trade.
“Vipi waKenya! (hi Kenyans), I’m Eric Kneedler, starting tonight I’ll be Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, @USEmbassyKenya. Let’s continue to engage on matters #USKEPartnership and build on our over 55 years of friendship on security, health, education, trade and so much more!” Kneedler said in a tweet.
Kneedler holds a B.A. from Pomona College and an M.A. in International Affairs from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
He is a native of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya opened in 1964 and 16 ambassadors have served since then.
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