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Why President Ruto and Opposition Leader Gachagua Will Be in the US at the Same Time in September
There is an interesting coincidence taking shape in American cities this September.
President William Ruto and his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, are both expected to be in the United States — at a time when the relationship between the two men is about as different from their 2022 political partnership as it could possibly be.
Ruto will be travelling to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to represent Kenya during one of the biggest diplomatic gatherings of the year.
Gachagua, meanwhile, has arrived in the United States for an extended tour that will take him through several cities as he engages Kenyans living in the diaspora.
The two trips have different purposes.
But the timing is difficult to ignore.
And with Kenya already looking ahead to the 2027 presidential election, their simultaneous presence in the United States has inevitably raised questions about whether their paths could cross — and whether there could be more to the coincidence than meets the eye.
There is no confirmed Ruto-Gachagua meeting at this point.
That distinction is important.
But the circumstances surrounding the two trips have generated enough political speculation to make their September movements worth watching.
Why Ruto Will Be in America
For President Ruto, the main reason for the September trip is diplomatic.
The 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to bring world leaders to New York for the high-level General Debate later in September.
Kenya’s president has been a regular participant at the annual gathering. In 2025, Ruto used his address to push for reforms to the UN Security Council, including greater representation for Africa.
The UN General Assembly gives presidents an opportunity to address the international community, but the public speeches are only part of what happens in New York.
The week is also packed with bilateral meetings, business engagements, diplomatic discussions and meetings with international organizations.
For Kenya, it is an opportunity for Ruto to present the country’s position on international issues while pursuing relationships that could have implications for trade, investment, security and development.
So Ruto’s American trip is primarily an official one.
Gachagua’s is something else.
Why Gachagua Is Spending So Much Time in America
Gachagua left Kenya on August 26 for an extended U.S. tour expected to last about 50 days.
He is travelling with his wife, Pastor Dorcas Rigathi, and has said the initial part of his stay will include time away from the political environment in Kenya.
The political part of the trip, however, is substantial.
According to the itinerary released by his Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), Gachagua is scheduled to begin his public engagements in Spokane, Washington, on September 4.
He is then expected to travel to:
- Portland, Oregon — September 10 to 16
- Kansas — September 16 to 24
- Dallas, Texas — September 24 to October 1
- Boston, Massachusetts — October 1 to 9
The tour is expected to include meetings with Kenyans in the United States and political engagements.
That makes the trip important beyond the usual activities of a Kenyan politician visiting relatives or attending community events.
Gachagua is now the leader of the DCP and one of the country’s prominent opposition figures as political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 election.
His American tour therefore gives him access to a large Kenyan diaspora at a time when political alliances are already beginning to take shape.
Why the Kenyan Diaspora Matters
Kenya’s diaspora has become an increasingly important political and economic constituency.
Kenyans living abroad send billions of shillings home every year, making remittances an important source of foreign exchange for the country.
But their importance is not only financial.
The diaspora has also become a significant audience for Kenyan political leaders.
A politician travelling through American cities can meet thousands of Kenyans in community halls, churches, professional associations and other gatherings.
Gachagua’s tour gives him a chance to make his case directly to these communities while also strengthening political networks outside Kenya.
The timing is particularly interesting because the country is moving closer to the 2027 election.
From Running Mates to Political Rivals
The reason the two men’s simultaneous presence in America has attracted so much attention is their history.
Ruto and Gachagua were not always political opponents.
In 2022, they campaigned together as running mates under the United Democratic Alliance ticket and defeated the Azimio coalition led by Raila Odinga.
Gachagua became deputy president when Ruto took office.
For a time, the two occupied the most powerful political partnership in Kenya.
That relationship eventually deteriorated.
Political disagreements became increasingly public, with Gachagua accusing parts of the government of undermining him and Ruto’s administration pushing back against his political positions.
The dispute ultimately ended with Gachagua’s impeachment and removal from the deputy presidency in October 2024.
Since then, the former allies have occupied opposite sides of Kenya’s political divide.
Gachagua has gone on to become a vocal critic of the Ruto administration and a key figure in opposition politics.
That history makes their simultaneous presence in the United States considerably more interesting than it would otherwise be.
The September Timing Is What Has People Talking
Look at the calendars.
Gachagua’s American tour begins its political engagements in early September and continues through October.
Ruto’s trip is expected to coincide with the high-level UN General Assembly meetings in New York later in the month.
Gachagua’s itinerary puts him in Kansas from September 16 to 24, followed by Dallas from September 24 to October 1.
New York, meanwhile, will be the centre of international diplomacy during the UN General Assembly week.
There is no evidence that Gachagua’s itinerary was designed around Ruto’s visit.
There is also no confirmed indication that Ruto and Gachagua have arranged to meet.
But their presence in the same country during the same politically sensitive period has naturally created speculation.
Then Came Moses Kuria’s Remark
The speculation did not come from nowhere.
Former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria recently suggested that Ruto and Gachagua could potentially work together again before the 2027 election.
Speaking during a television interview, Kuria said he could not rule out a reconciliation between the two men despite their bitter political fallout.
He also pointed to their upcoming American trips.
That was enough to ignite a fresh round of speculation about whether the United States could become the setting for some form of political conversation.
Other reports have since amplified the possibility of a meeting.
But there is a big difference between political speculation and a confirmed event.
As of now, there is no publicly confirmed schedule showing that Ruto and Gachagua are due to sit down together in America.
That means any suggestion of a secret meeting should be treated as exactly that — speculation.
Could the Two Men Reconcile?
Kenyan politics has a long history of surprising political partnerships.
Alliances that once appeared impossible have been formed, while friendships that looked unbreakable have collapsed.
That makes predictions about 2027 particularly difficult.
A reconciliation between Ruto and Gachagua would be politically significant, but it would also face serious obstacles.
Their fallout was not a minor disagreement.
Gachagua was removed from office through an impeachment process, and he has subsequently built much of his political profile around opposition to the Ruto administration.
At the same time, Kenyan politics is highly fluid.
The interests of politicians can change as an election approaches, and today’s rival can become tomorrow’s political partner.
That does not mean a reunion is coming.
It simply means it cannot responsibly be ruled out.
America Could Provide an Interesting Setting
There is another reason the U.S. is an interesting location for this story.
Both men will be operating away from Kenya’s political environment.
Ruto will be surrounded largely by diplomats, government officials and international leaders during the UN General Assembly.
Gachagua will be spending time with Kenyan communities across several American cities.
If the two sides were ever to establish contact, the United States would offer a quieter environment than Nairobi, where every political move is immediately subjected to intense scrutiny.
That does not mean such contact is planned.
But politics is often about conversations that do not appear on an official itinerary.
What Happens If Their Paths Cross?
This is where the September trips become particularly fascinating.
A photograph of Ruto and Gachagua shaking hands in New York would instantly become a major political story in Kenya.
A private meeting would generate even more speculation.
But even an absence of contact could be politically significant.
If both men spend weeks in the United States without meeting, that would reinforce the impression that their political separation remains deep.
If they do meet, however brief the encounter, Kenyans would immediately ask what it means for the 2027 contest.
Is it simply a courtesy meeting between two former colleagues?
Is it the beginning of a political conversation?
Or is it nothing more than coincidence?
There is no way to answer those questions yet.
The 2027 Election Is the Bigger Story
Ultimately, the United States trips are interesting because of what is happening back home.
Kenya is slowly moving into the political season preceding the 2027 General Election.
Opposition parties are trying to build alliances, politicians are testing their support bases and potential presidential contenders are beginning to position themselves.
Gachagua’s decision to spend weeks meeting Kenyans in the United States fits into that wider political picture.
Ruto, meanwhile, will be using the UN General Assembly to represent Kenya internationally while continuing to navigate domestic political pressures.
The two men therefore have very different reasons for being in America.
But their political histories make the overlap impossible to ignore.
For Now, They Are Simply Two Separate Trips
The safest conclusion is also the most straightforward.
Ruto is going to America primarily for international diplomacy and the United Nations General Assembly. Gachagua is going there for an extended diaspora and political tour.
Their trips overlap because their schedules happen to fall within the same period.
There is no confirmed evidence that either trip was arranged specifically to bring the two men together.
But considering where their relationship stands today, the fact that they will be in the same country during the same month is enough to attract attention.
And with the 2027 election approaching, Kenyans will probably be watching their movements closely.
If they meet, the political implications could be enormous.
If they do not, people will still be asking the same question:
What, if anything, happened behind the scenes while Ruto and Gachagua were both in America?
ent.
In October 2024, the National Assembly and later the Senate backed Gachagua’s removal from office through the impeachment process.
He was subsequently replaced as deputy president by Kithure Kindiki.
The former deputy president then moved further into opposition politics.
Since then, Gachagua has repeatedly criticised Ruto’s government and has positioned himself as part of the political forces seeking an alternative to the administration.
That history makes a possible conversation between the two men much more significant than an ordinary meeting between two Kenyan politicians.
Could America Become the Place They Talk?
This is the question driving much of the speculation.
America provides an unusual setting.
Ruto will be surrounded by an official delegation during the UN General Assembly in New York.
Gachagua, meanwhile, will be travelling through several states meeting Kenyan communities.
If political intermediaries wanted to arrange a conversation away from the intense political atmosphere in Nairobi, the United States could provide an opportunity.
But that remains a possibility, not a reported plan.
There is currently no public evidence establishing that the two men have agreed to meet.
And their schedules do not even place them in the same city during the main parts of Gachagua’s tour.
That means it would be irresponsible to present a meeting as inevitable.
What Would a Ruto-Gachagua Meeting Mean?
If the two men were to meet, even privately, it would immediately become one of Kenya’s biggest political stories.
A handshake alone would generate speculation.
A photograph would generate even more.
A substantive discussion about politics could have consequences far beyond the United States.
That is because Kenya’s 2027 election is already beginning to shape political calculations.
Gachagua has built a substantial political following since leaving government.
Ruto, meanwhile, is seeking to maintain his political coalition and defend his record as he heads toward another presidential contest.
A reconciliation between the two would therefore change the political calculations of several camps.
It could affect alliances.
It could affect the opposition.
It could affect the politics of Mount Kenya.
And it could potentially change how politicians position themselves ahead of 2027.
But none of that means reconciliation is currently happening.
Gachagua’s Own Political Mission
There is another reason to pay attention to his American tour.
Gachagua has increasingly been talking about political organization and the need for opposition forces to prepare for 2027.
His DCP is positioning itself as an important vehicle in that contest.
The American tour therefore comes at a useful time for the former deputy president.
It allows him to spend weeks meeting Kenyans abroad while also giving him space to think about the political decisions that lie ahead.
Reports on the itinerary say the initial 10 days were intended partly for rest and time with his wife before the political engagements began.
After that, the tone changes.
Spokane.
Portland.
Kansas.
Dallas.
Boston.
It is a sizeable political and diaspora tour.
The Diaspora Is Watching Too
For Kenyan communities in America, the visit presents an opportunity to engage directly with a politician who is now outside government but remains deeply involved in national politics.
Gachagua’s supporters are likely to use the tour to demonstrate his popularity abroad.
His critics will watch the size and character of the gatherings and question how much support he actually commands.
Either way, the images coming out of those events could become part of the political conversation back home.
And there is another factor.
Social media means that a political gathering in Dallas or Boston can be watched in Kenya almost immediately.
The physical distance between Kenya and America no longer means political distance.
What Happens If They Do Not Meet?
Interestingly, the absence of a meeting could also become a story.
If Ruto spends his time in New York and Gachagua continues his tour without any contact between them, it would reinforce the impression that their political relationship remains deeply fractured.
If they do meet, however, Kenyans will want to know why.
Was it simply a courtesy encounter?
Was it an attempt to lower tensions?
Were intermediaries involved?
Was a larger political agreement being discussed?
Those questions would probably dominate political conversation in Nairobi.
For Now, The Trips Remain Separate
The facts are fairly straightforward.
Gachagua is already in the United States.
He is undertaking an extended tour that includes political and diaspora engagements across several states.
Ruto is expected in America in September for the UN General Assembly in New York, continuing a pattern of attending the annual gathering as Kenya’s president. The UN’s official calendar confirms the September high-level programme.
Their reasons for travelling are therefore different.
But their schedules overlap.
And because these are two former political allies whose relationship ended in one of the most dramatic political breakups in recent Kenyan history, that overlap is unlikely to pass unnoticed.
There is no confirmed Ruto-Gachagua meeting.
There is no evidence that either man’s trip was arranged around the other.
But there is also no shortage of people wondering whether the two men could find themselves in the same room before September is over.
For a country already looking toward 2027, that possibility alone is enough to keep people watching.
Ruto is going to America for the UN. Gachagua is already there on a political and diaspora tour.
What happens if their paths cross is the part nobody can answer yet.
When Stella Wamaitha Njoroge arrived in Dubai in February 2020, she was 23 years old and hopeful about what lay ahead.
The Kenyan woman had travelled to the United Arab Emirates expecting to find work within weeks and begin building a new life in a city known for attracting people from around the world.
Instead, the biggest global disruption in generations arrived almost immediately after she did.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought businesses, travel and everyday life to a standstill. For Njoroge, who was still trying to establish herself in a new country, the consequences were especially difficult.
Her savings began disappearing.
Then she reached a point where she could no longer afford her rent.
What happened next, according to Njoroge, would become one of the most important experiences of her life in Dubai.
She arrived in Dubai just before the pandemic
Njoroge’s timing could hardly have been more challenging.
The UAE began introducing extensive measures to contain COVID-19 in March 2020. According to the UAE government’s official account of its pandemic response, schools and higher education institutions were closed, distance learning was introduced, shopping centres and entertainment destinations were temporarily closed, new visas were suspended and restrictions were placed on air travel.
The government also introduced measures affecting foreign residents whose visas or work permits were expiring during the disruption. Some residents and visitors received extensions as authorities attempted to deal with the consequences of suspended air traffic and the wider pandemic emergency. (UAE government)
For someone who had arrived only weeks earlier, finding employment in that environment was far more difficult than she had anticipated.
Njoroge later told Emirates 24|7 that she struggled to find work during the lockdown and eventually ran out of money.
Her immediate problem was no longer simply finding a job.
It was keeping a roof over her head.
The conversation she was afraid to have
Njoroge said she became increasingly anxious as her savings disappeared.
Eventually, she had to confront a situation many expatriates fear when living away from home: she could no longer afford her accommodation.
She said she finally gathered the courage to tell her Lebanese landlord that she would not be able to pay the rent and would have to leave.
She had nowhere else to go.
But according to Njoroge, the landlord did not ask her to leave.
Instead, he allowed her to remain in the apartment without paying rent.
For three months, she said, she was able to stay there without paying a dirham.
The decision gave her something she desperately needed at the time: stability.
More importantly, Njoroge says it changed the way she felt about being alone in a foreign country.
In her account to Emirates 24|7, she said that at 23, living abroad during an unprecedented crisis, she felt “seen, supported, and protected.” (Emirates 24|7)
The landlord’s identity was not disclosed in that published account, and the details of the arrangement have not been independently documented in public records. The three-month rent-free period therefore remains Njoroge’s account of what happened.
But for her, the meaning of the experience has never depended simply on the amount of money involved.
She tried to repay him
As her circumstances eventually improved, Njoroge said she tried to repay the landlord.
He refused.
Instead, she said, he told her to pass the kindness on to somebody else who needed help.
That advice stayed with her.
The experience gave Njoroge a different perspective on what it meant to build a life in a country far from home.
She had arrived expecting to find employment and establish herself independently.
The pandemic instead showed her how vulnerable a person could become when circumstances suddenly changed.
It also showed her how much difference one person’s decision could make.
Njoroge later described the experience as something that changed her completely.
Rather than treating the landlord’s generosity as a debt that could only be settled financially, she began thinking about kindness as something that could be transferred from one person to another.
From a young newcomer to a business adviser
Njoroge eventually managed to build a career in Dubai.
Today, her professional profile describes her as a business setup consultant and UAE visa specialist with more than five years of experience. Her work involves helping people establish businesses and navigate aspects of the UAE’s immigration and business environment. (Stella Wamaitha’s professional profile)
The work has particular relevance for Africans looking to establish themselves in the UAE.
People arriving in the country to work, invest or start businesses may have to navigate licensing, immigration, residency and other administrative requirements.
The UAE has developed numerous routes for foreign entrepreneurs and investors.
The government’s official business guidance explains the steps involved in establishing a mainland company, including choosing a business activity, determining the appropriate legal form, selecting a trade name and obtaining the required approvals and licence. (UAE government business setup guide)
The country also offers residence options for eligible investors and entrepreneurs, including the Green residence system for certain categories of investors, business partners, freelancers and self-employed people. (UAE government residence information)
For Njoroge, learning how to navigate that environment eventually became part of her profession.
The woman who once arrived in Dubai struggling to find her first job now helps other people understand how to establish themselves in the country.
Her own experience became part of her expertise
Njoroge has said that her professional journey was shaped partly by her own experience trying to understand the UAE’s business and visa environment.
In a professional reflection published on LinkedIn, she described learning the system herself after encountering uncertainty and conflicting information.
Over time, that knowledge became something she could offer to others.
Her current professional profile identifies her work with Easy Business SetUp Dubai and describes her experience in business setup consulting and UAE visa services. (Stella Wamaitha on LinkedIn)
That evolution gives her story an unusual arc.
She did not arrive in Dubai as an established consultant.
She arrived as a 23-year-old newcomer trying to find work.
The pandemic interrupted those plans.
A landlord gave her time when she could no longer pay rent.
She eventually recovered, built professional experience and developed a career helping other people navigate the same country in which she had once been a newcomer.
Dubai became more than a place to work
The experience with her landlord also appears to have influenced how Njoroge understands community.
Dubai is home to a highly international population, and Njoroge says some of her most meaningful relationships have been with people from backgrounds completely different from her own.
In her interview with Emirates 24|7, she described herself as intentional about meeting people from different cultures and building relationships.
Those connections have extended beyond the UAE.
She recalled travelling to Egypt for her birthday and reconnecting with an Egyptian friend she had met while he was living and working in Dubai. The friend collected her from the airport, showed her around Cairo and eventually welcomed her into his family home.
For Njoroge, the experience demonstrated how friendships built in Dubai could continue long after people left the city.
She described those relationships as creating a kind of international family.
That idea is central to the way she now talks about her life in the UAE.
For people who move abroad without relatives nearby, friendships can become an important source of practical and emotional support.
Njoroge’s own experience gave her a particularly personal understanding of that reality.
Paying the kindness forward
The lesson she says she learned from her landlord eventually developed into something bigger than helping individuals informally.
Njoroge began looking at how she could create opportunities for other African women in business.
She told Emirates 24|7 that she had previously attended a high-end networking event where she was the only African woman in the room.
The experience was intimidating, she said, but she decided to introduce herself and speak to people.
That decision eventually led her to a mentor who invested in her business and opened professional doors for her.
The experience made her think about what might happen if other African women had greater access to similar networks.
She Means Business Network
In 2025, Njoroge and her friend Joan Mwende co-founded the She Means Business Network in Dubai, according to Njoroge’s account published by Emirates 24|7.
The network focuses on African women and women of colour who are professionals, entrepreneurs or transitioning into business.
According to Njoroge, the group organizes events, panels and networking sessions designed to improve visibility and access to opportunities.
When Emirates 24|7 profiled Njoroge in May 2026, she said the network had about 100 registered members. (Emirates 24|7 profile of Njoroge and the network)
The network represents a significant shift from where Njoroge was during the early months of the pandemic.
In 2020, she was worried about whether she could afford her next month’s accommodation.
Several years later, she was helping create professional connections for other women seeking to build careers and businesses.
Why networks matter for people living abroad
Moving to another country can involve much more than securing a job.
Newcomers often have to learn unfamiliar administrative systems, develop professional contacts and build personal relationships from scratch.
For entrepreneurs, the challenge can be even greater.
The UAE has deliberately positioned itself as a destination for international investment and entrepreneurship, with government initiatives designed to simplify business formation and support small and medium-sized enterprises.
In June 2026, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism launched “SME in a Box,” a platform intended to bring services such as licensing support, banking, payments, logistics and telecommunications into a more integrated onboarding process for entrepreneurs. (Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism)
That official push illustrates the broader environment in which Njoroge now works.
The country continues to attract people who want to establish companies, relocate, invest or build careers.
But official systems are only one part of successfully settling into a new country.
People also need information, contacts and trusted guidance.
That is where Njoroge has built her professional niche.
A different kind of repayment
The landlord who helped Njoroge during the pandemic may never have expected his decision to have consequences years later.
According to her account, he simply gave a young woman some time when she was struggling financially.
He did not ask her to repay the money when she later offered to do so.
Instead, he told her to help somebody else.
That instruction appears to have become one of the guiding ideas of her life in Dubai.
Njoroge’s response has not been limited to one individual.
Her career helps people navigate business setup and visa-related matters.
Her professional network connects her with entrepreneurs and newcomers.
And the She Means Business Network is intended to give African women access to professional relationships and opportunities.
In that sense, the kindness she received has been passed forward in several different forms.
Her story reflects the uncertainty of starting over abroad
Njoroge’s story is ultimately about more than a landlord waiving rent.
It is about what can happen when someone’s carefully constructed plans collide with circumstances beyond their control.
She arrived in Dubai in February 2020 expecting to find a job.
A few weeks later, a global pandemic had disrupted the economic environment around her.
The UAE government introduced restrictions that affected travel, businesses, education and immigration. For new arrivals without established support networks, the uncertainty could be particularly difficult. (UAE government COVID-19 measures)
Njoroge’s own savings eventually ran out.
She was faced with the prospect of leaving her home.
Then, according to her account, her landlord gave her three months.
Those three months did not solve every problem she faced.
But they bought her time.
And sometimes time is exactly what a person needs to change the direction of a difficult situation.
From vulnerability to helping others
There is a striking contrast between Njoroge’s life in the first months after arriving in Dubai and the work she does today.
At 23, she was trying to find a job while watching her savings disappear.
Today, she works in business setup and UAE visa consulting.
She has built an international professional network.
She has helped establish a community for African women in business.
And she speaks openly about the importance of building relationships with people from different backgrounds.
Her professional profile now describes a career that would have been difficult to imagine during those early months of 2020. (Stella Wamaitha’s professional profile)
Her experience also illustrates how careers can emerge from unexpected circumstances.
The pandemic disrupted the plan she originally had.
But the life she eventually built in Dubai grew in a different direction.
The meaning of one small act
Stories about migration often focus on jobs, salaries, visas, businesses and the practical reasons people leave one country for another.
Njoroge’s story highlights something less tangible.
Sometimes the difference between feeling completely alone and feeling capable of carrying on can be one person’s decision to help.
For her, that decision came from a landlord at a moment when she was unable to pay rent.
The help lasted three months.
The memory has lasted years.
And the lesson she says she took from it has become part of how she approaches other people.
When she later tried to repay her landlord, he reportedly told her to pass the kindness to somebody else.
She appears to have taken those words seriously.
Today, she helps people navigate the UAE’s business environment and works to connect African women with professional opportunities.
The connection between those things is not simply financial.
It is the idea that support creates a chain.
One person helps another person stay afloat.
That person eventually becomes strong enough to help someone else.
A young woman who found a different future
Njoroge arrived in Dubai with a simple ambition: find work and build a future.
The pandemic temporarily took that opportunity away.
Her savings disappeared, her employment plans were disrupted and she reached a point where she feared she would have to leave her home.
But according to her account, someone chose to give her an alternative.
Three months of rent-free accommodation gave her enough space to get through one of the most uncertain periods of her life.
Years later, she is no longer the young woman wondering whether she can afford her next month’s rent.
She is a business setup adviser, a member of Dubai’s international professional community and a co-founder of a network seeking to help African women access opportunities.
Her story is therefore not simply about surviving the pandemic.
It is about what happened afterward.
A difficult experience became a lesson.
A lesson became a philosophy.
And that philosophy became part of the way she works with other people.
For Njoroge, the kindness of one landlord during the darkest period of her early life in Dubai appears to have changed the way she thinks about success.
Success is not only about getting ahead.
It can also mean remembering who helped you when you were struggling — and finding a way to help somebody else when your circumstances eventually allow it.
That is the legacy Njoroge says she chose to carry forward.
A young Kenyan woman arrived in Dubai hoping to build a new life.
The city gave her unexpected challenges.
One person gave her a place to stay when she had nowhere else to go.
And years later, she is trying to create opportunities for others.
Sometimes, a life-changing act of kindness does not end with the person who receives it.
Sometimes, it keeps moving.
Dear Family and Friends,
We wish to express our deepest and most sincere gratitude for your overwhelming support throughout this difficult journey of laying to rest our beloved Njau Waira.
Thank you for your financial and material contributions, prayers, calls, messages, and, most importantly, your presence during the funeral arrangements, the wake, the memorial and the finally the burial. Your generosity and commitment made it possible for us to meet our target and give Njau the befitting send-off he deserved.
We are truly humbled and grateful for standing with the family every step of the way.
Your love,❤️ support, kindness and presence will forever be remembered.
May God bless you all abundantly and meet you at the point of need, an ever present help in time of trouble. 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
From Waira Family.
Diaspora
U.S. Delays 2027 Green Card Lottery Registration as New Rules Add Costs and Passport Requirement
U.S. Delays 2027 Green Card Lottery Registration as New Rules Add Costs and Passport Requirement
WASHINGTON D.C. — Prospective immigrants from Kenya and other eligible African countries are facing an uncertain wait for the next U.S. Diversity Visa lottery after the Department of State delayed the opening of the 2027 registration period and introduced new requirements for applicants.
The State Department has not yet announced the opening or closing dates for DV-2027 registration. It said in November 2025 that it was making changes to the entry process and would announce the registration date “as soon as practicable.” The department also said the delay would not change the visa application period for people selected in the program, which is scheduled to run from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027.
State Department: Changes to the DV-2027 Entry Period
That means reports that the DV-2027 registration window has already been shortened should be treated with caution. No official registration duration has been published by the State Department as of September 29, 2026.
The delay comes as the department implements two significant changes: a $1 registration fee and a new requirement that most applicants provide information from a valid, unexpired passport and upload a scan of the passport’s biographical and signature page.
New $1 fee for lottery registration
A State Department final rule published in September 2025 established a $1 fee for registering for the Diversity Visa lottery. The department said the charge is intended to shift some of the costs of operating the lottery—including maintaining the electronic entry system, storing data, conducting the randomized selection process and performing security reviews—to people entering the lottery.
Federal Register: Diversity Visa Program Fee
The fee is separate from the visa application fee paid later by people who are selected and proceed with the immigration process.
The department’s subsequent Diversity Visa rule makes clear that the $1 fee will be collected when an entrant submits the lottery registration. No waiver is provided for the registration fee.
Federal Register: DV-2027 Passport Requirement and Entry Changes
Applicants should therefore be cautious about websites or agents claiming to offer an official DV-2027 registration before the State Department announces the registration period. The department’s official Diversity Visa entry instructions state that entries must be submitted electronically during the designated period and that there is only one permitted entry per person.
Passport requirement creates a new hurdle
The more consequential change for many prospective applicants is the passport requirement.
Under a final rule implementing changes for DV-2027, applicants generally must provide information from a valid, unexpired passport and upload a scan of its biographical and signature page when registering. The State Department said the requirement is intended to combat fraudulent and duplicate entries and allow earlier identity verification.
Federal Register: DV-2027 Passport Requirement and Entry Changes
The department acknowledged that obtaining a passport can present financial and logistical difficulties, particularly in countries where passport processing is slow or services are difficult to access.
Its regulatory analysis estimated that obtaining and supplying the passport information would add time and costs for applicants. The department estimated the average passport cost across eligible countries at $74.43, while also noting that actual costs and additional expenses vary by country.
The rule contains limited exemptions, including certain stateless applicants, some nationals of Communist-controlled countries who cannot obtain passports from their governments, and people covered by specified government-approved waivers. Applicants seeking an exemption must provide supporting evidence.
The State Department has said the passport rule will apply globally rather than specifically targeting African applicants. It nevertheless acknowledged that people without passports could be deterred from entering the program.
Kenya remains an eligible country
Kenyan-born applicants have been among the beneficiaries of the Diversity Visa program in recent years.
Kenya was listed among the African countries eligible for DV-2026, while Nigeria was among the countries excluded from that year’s program because of the statutory high-admission formula.
State Department: DV-2026 Instructions
The State Department selected 3,949 Kenyan entrants for DV-2026. The figure includes selected entrants and their eligible derivatives and does not mean that all of those people ultimately received visas.
State Department: DV-2026 Selected Entrants
Other African countries also recorded substantial numbers of DV-2026 selectees, including Ethiopia, Egypt, Cameroon, Morocco, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana.
Eligibility for DV-2027, however, must be confirmed against the official instructions when they are issued. A country’s eligibility can change from one program year to another under the statutory formula.
What applicants should expect
For now, the most important fact for prospective DV-2027 applicants is that there is no confirmed registration deadline to work toward.
The State Department has said it will publish the registration dates and the date on which DV-2027 selection results will become available through the Electronic Diversity Visa system.
State Department: Changes to the DV-2027 Entry Period
Once registration opens, applicants will have to comply with the new requirements, including the $1 payment and, in most cases, submission of valid passport information and a passport scan.
The official State Department DV entry guidance remains the appropriate source for registration instructions. The department says the registration system does not become active until the officially specified date and warns applicants to retain their confirmation number after submitting an entry.
The Federal Register rule on passport requirements provides the legal details of the new DV-2027 entry requirements, while the State Department’s DV-2027 announcement is the authoritative source for the delayed registration schedule.
A separate issue for current DV applicants
The DV-2027 delay is occurring alongside continuing uncertainty for people selected in the previous lottery.
In August 2026, the State Department announced that it was again pausing issuance of Diversity Visas while reviewing screening and vetting procedures. The department said applicants could continue submitting applications and attending interviews, but that no Diversity Visas would be issued while the pause was in effect.
State Department: Diversity Visa Issuance Guidance
That development concerns DV-2026 selectees, rather than people waiting to register for DV-2027, and should not be conflated with the delayed registration schedule.
For prospective applicants in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa, the immediate task is therefore preparation rather than rushing to meet an unannounced deadline. The registration dates, eligible-country list and complete DV-2027 instructions must come from the State Department before applicants can know the precise requirements and timeframe.
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