United States President Donald Trump has nominated veteran diplomat Henry Wooster to serve as the next US ambassador to Kenya, according to a nomination notice submitted to the US Senate on June 1, 2026.

If approved by the Senate, Wooster will serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to Kenya, succeeding Meg Whitman, who resigned in 2024 following the election of Trump. Whitman served under former US President Joe Biden.

The White House has described Wooster as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of minister-counsellor.

“Henry Wooster, of Virginia, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Kenya,” the notice reads.

Veteran Career diplomat

Henry Wooster is a seasoned American diplomat with extensive experience in international affairs and foreign service assignments.

As a senior member of the U.S. Foreign Service, Wooster has held several strategic diplomatic positions and is regarded as an experienced figure in American foreign policy circles.

His nomination now awaits Senate approval before he can formally assume the ambassadorial role in Nairobi. The US Embassy in Nairobi has been led by a Chargé d’Affaires, who has overseen diplomatic operations pending the appointment and confirmation of a full ambassador.

The nomination comes at a time when Kenya remains one of Washington’s key strategic allies in East Africa, particularly in matters relating to regional security, counterterrorism, trade, governance, and public health cooperation.

The United States and Kenya maintain strong bilateral relations, with collaboration spanning defence, economic partnerships, climate initiatives, and healthcare programmes.

Kenya also hosts several major American-supported programmes and serves as a regional diplomatic and economic hub.

Wooster’s career

Prior to his nomination, Wooster served as Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Before that, he was Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the State Department.

Between September 2020 and July 2023, Wooster served as the US Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, one of Washington’s key allies in the Middle East.

Before his ambassadorial posting in Jordan, Wooster served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Maghreb and Egypt.