2nd LD: US president to visit Kenya in July

U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Kenya in July to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Nairobi, the U.S. envoy to Kenya said on Monday.

U.S. Ambassador Robert Godec told journalists in Nairobi that the meeting will bring together senior government officials, business leaders and international organizations and will be the first time the summit takes place in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"President Obama will travel to Kenya in July, where he will hold bilateral meetings and participate in the GES," Godec told journalists in Nairobi.

"His trip will build on the success of the August 2014 U.S.- Africa Leaders Summit and continue our efforts to work with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, including Kenya, to accelerate economic growth, strengthen democratic institutions, and improve security," he added.

Godec said the Kenyan government has agreed to co-host the 2015 GES in July. This will be the first time the GES will take place in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Organized annually since 2009, the GES has emerged as a global platform connecting emerging entrepreneurs with leaders from business, international organizations, and governments looking to support them.

The July visit in Kenya where Obama's father was born, will be the first one to Kenya and fourth to Sub-Saharan Africa during his presidency.

The U.S. leader has been avoiding visit to Kenya where the country's President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have been facing charges against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Hague-based court however dropped the charges against Kenyatta, but that of his deputy is still ongoing.

Obama has visited Kogelo village in western Kenya where his father was born three times - in 1983, in 1995 and in 2006. His father died in 1985. Endi