Kenya's president in San Francisco to invite Silicon Valley tech investments

SAN FRANCISCO - The president of Kenya is in the Bay Area, hoping to bring in investments from Silicon Valley.

President William Ruto sat down for a conversation with former  eBay CEO Meg Whitman in San Francisco in an event sponsored by Prosper Africa.

He called Kenya Africa's business and creative economy hub, but some of his critics have warned that his government's doubling of a digital services tax will discourage tech sector growth.

"I have come to the Silicon Valley to underscore the Kenya government's strategic intent to support through infrastructure and other investment, the enhancement of Kenya's position as the epicenter of Africa's innovation and technological transformation," Ruto said.

Kenya has been accused of lax labor laws, leading dozens of employees at one tech company that contracts with Meta to sue over poor working conditions and low wages.