Trump is expected to name Whitman’s replacement. Given that she opted to resign, the pressure from Kenyans for Trump to recall her is eliminated, but this means that he must name a replacement
After United States Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman announced her resignation from the role, Chargé d’Affaires Marc Dillard will fill her position pending a substantive replacement by the US government.
Whitman’s move to resign on Wednesday, October 13 followed massive pressure on social media for her to resign following Donald Trump’s showing during the 2024 US presidential elections, though some saw this as a tall order given her past Republican ties as Trump was elected US president on a Republican ticket on November 6.
Following Trump’s win in the US elections, and becoming the United States’ 47th president, Kenyans took to social media and turned on Whitman by pushing hashtags such as ‘Recall Meg Whitman’ and ‘Resign Meg Whitman’ on X, demanding that Trump remove her as a Kenyan envoy.
Their criticism stemmed from her tenure as the US envoy to Kenya, during which, the former tech CEO and billionaire drew criticism from Kenyans who accuse her of “meddling” in Kenya’s politics and of maintaining unusually close ties with President William Ruto.
Meg Whitman with President William Ruto on September 27, 2022. /PCS
This connection was evident during Ruto’s recent U.S. state visit, where Whitman played a highly visible role in facilitating his agenda, a display that highlighted her access and influence, rare even among U.S. ambassadors.
“Our Embassy benefits from highly skilled Kenyan and American employees who will continue their efforts under the leadership of Chargé d’Affaires Marc Dillard to advance the shared goals on which our bilateral relationship has long been grounded.
“I have no doubt that our 60 years of partnership will continue to strengthen and serve Americans and Kenyans as we aim to build more prosperous, healthy, secure, and democratic nations. Our relations are stronger than ever, and I am confident this trajectory will continue,” she revealed in a statement that announced her resignation.
Trump is expected to name Whitman’s replacement. Given that she opted to resign, the pressure from Kenyans for Trump to recall her is eliminated, but this means that he must name a replacement as he commences his second term as US President following his inauguration on January 20, 2025.
Let’s take a look at the profile of Whitman’s replacement, for now:
Marc Dillard Profile
A member of the Senior Foreign Service, class of Minister-Counselor, Dillard has served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi since August 2022.
He has had a variety of postings in Washington and overseas since joining the State Department in 1998. Most recently, he was Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, Hungary from 2019-2022.
Previous postings include stints as Director of the Office of Economic Policy Analysis and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and as Counselor for Political and Economic Affairs in Sofia, Bulgaria.
He has also worked in Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Japan, and Korea, and as a Watch Officer/Senior Watch Officer in the State Department’s Operations Center.
Dillard received a bachelor’s degree in history from Duke University and a doctorate in political economy and public policy from the University of Southern California. “He was a consultant in the private sector, taught economics at the university level, and is the recipient of multiple State Department Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards,” the US Embassy in Nairobi details him on its official website.
His wife, Julia Dillard, is also a Foreign Service Officer. They have two children.
What is a Chargé d’Affaires
This is a diplomat who serves as an embassy’s chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador. The term is French for “person charged with business”, meaning they are responsible for the duties of an ambassador.
Chargé is masculine in gender; the feminine form is chargée d’affaires (pronounced the same way). A chargé enjoys the same privileges and immunities as an ambassador under international law, and normally these extend to their aides as well.
However, chargés d’affaires are outranked by ambassadors and have lower precedence at formal diplomatic events. In most cases, a diplomat serves as a chargé d’affaires on a temporary basis in the absence of the ambassador.
In unusual situations, in cases where disputes between the two countries make it impossible or undesirable to send agents of a higher diplomatic rank, a chargé d’affaires may be appointed for an indefinite period.
Donald Trump speaking during a past campaign rally. /NPR